


Me Without You

by LadyThatch902



Series: Tangential [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alcoholic Tony Stark, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Developing Relationship, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Infidelity, IronStrange, M/M, Mid-life Crisis, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Beta Read, Slow Burn, Tony isn't dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:40:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 37,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23430316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyThatch902/pseuds/LadyThatch902
Summary: Complete! SLOW BURN: After Thanos, Tony tries to find meaning in his life during recovery. A certain wizard piques his interest.*Follow up fic posted!
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: Tangential [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723939
Comments: 60
Kudos: 142





	1. Iron Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I am Iron Man_
> 
> _Has he lost his mind?  
>  Can he see or is he blind?  
> Can he walk at all  
> Or if he moves will he fall?  
> _
> 
> \- Black Sabbath

It was a beautiful summer day. Tony had made it a mission of his summer to jog at least once to every single park in New York. Today, he worked his way downtown towards Washington Square Park - dodging groups of tourists and insane bicyclists. He had been trying to increase his stamina, as he still felt pain from his arm injury. Thanos had left a lasting impact on his upper body. Light scars traced their way towards his chest, but on a normal day, Tony barely noticed. 

Months had passed. The construction of the new Avengers compound was almost complete, and Tony was counting down the days until Pepper returned. She had taken Morgan and gone to Maine for the summer, citing a necessity to spend time with her ailing mother. Tony had opted to stay at the tower, not feeling especially fond of his mother-in-law. Initially, Pepper had protested, but she knew better than to corner Tony into something he didn’t want to do. 

After he recovered, Tony had thrown himself back into work. This irritated Pepper to no end. She pleaded with him, begged him to just spend time with her and Morgan. But Tony was restless. All of the Avengers had gone back to work, making a temporary safe house in Queens. They dealt with small repercussions of Thanos’ demise, barely anything they needed Iron Man for. Pepper blew up at Tony when she discovered the suit he had been working on in their garden shed at the lake house. He promised it was meant to be operated remotely, but Pepper demanded he dismantle it, and never do anything like that again. 

Tony wasn’t normally a guy for ultimatums, but he had more than once chosen his work over Pepper. Now he had to consider their daughter, and their marriage. But marriage for the Starks was a different beast - their dating life had been tumultuous, hot, and full of unknowns. Mostly it was fueled by Tony’s inability to commit and Pepper’s deep well of patience. She knew he could be a dick, but she also knew he was capable of extreme loyalty. On top of that, he was a great father. Before Thanos, he was entirely present in Morgan’s life. He took care of the house while Pepper continued her work at Stark Industries, and escorted Morgan to her little play dates. They did daddy-daughter dates on the weekends, and he built her special toys with whatever materials Pepper would let him have. 

There was something missing, though. Pepper blamed their stale love life on Tony’s recovery, Tony blamed it on her inability to compromise. They fought a lot. They snapped at each other over breakfast, slept in separate bedrooms after screaming matches. It was beginning to affect Morgan, especially after she got sent home from kindergarten for screaming and kicking at the teachers. It was a blessing, then, that summer arrived - and Pepper conjured her Protestant roots to pretend that nothing had ever happened. In the briefest of conversations, Pepper said they could re-evaluate in August; she still loved him as a husband, and a father - but he was being a downright miserable companion. 

Tony knew this. He knew he was pushing away the one person who had his back all of these years, besides Rhodey. Tony was depressed. He spent the first couple of weeks after Pepper had left, just drinking alone in his lab. F.R.I.D.A.Y. was concerned and sent Rhodey to talk to him, but Tony locked him out. It wasn’t Rhodey’s burden, it was his. Whatever Tony’s problem was was something only Tony could fix. 

So he started running again. The first day, he vomited in Central Park from being so hungover. Eventually, the drinking slowed so he only had a drink after dinner - enough to calm his brain before the fear and anxiety took over his ability to sleep. It was working, for now. The jogging helped clear his mind. He had started to utilize the time during his runs to start brainstorming new projects he could throw himself into. He was in the middle of considering a redesign of his arc reactor when he spotted a familiar figure sitting on a bench. 

Stephen Strange was seated on the other side of the fountain, reading a newspaper. As Tony jogged closer, he could see the wizard looked the same - impeccably trimmed beard, salt and pepper hair slicked back with one tuft in the front loosely hanging, blue-grey eyes scanning the pages. He wore a tan shirt and dark green pants, both probably made of linen. Tony smirked at his sandals. He approached the man, turning off the music in his bluetooth headset. 

“Is that the latest edition of Wizarding Weekly?” 

Strange looked up, squinting. “No, it’s the Tibetan Times. It’s good to see you, Mr. Stark.” 

“Likewise. What are you doing here?” 

“I live nearby.” 

“Right, I forgot. Can I sit?”

“Please,” Strange scooted, making room.Tony sat. There was a pause, as Strange kept reading his paper. 

“So… what have you been up to?” Tony asked. Strange looked at him.

“I protect the Sanctum from otherworldly threats.” 

“Of course. I just thought… well, since I didn’t get to see you after… I just wanted to say thank you for saving my life.”

“You’re welcome.” 

“How did you remove the radiation?”

“I banished it to another realm,” Strange said succinctly. 

“Huh. Look, can I buy you a cup of coffee or something? I know a really great place around the corner; we could sit outside and chat or something.” 

“Stumptown?”

“Yeah. C’mon.”

Fifteen minutes later, Tony and Strange were seated outside. They had both ordered the same thing (black coffee, for here), and were waiting for their coffees to cool slightly. They faced the street, observing the busy passerby. 

“How is your recovery?” Stephen asked, mindlessly stirring his coffee. 

“Slow,” Tony said, flexing his right hand. “Couldn’t use this thing for weeks. The doctors said I had extreme nerve damage, but with therapy and the surgery you did, I should get back to 90%.” 

“That’s an excellent prognosis.” 

“We’re doing pulse therapy for the time being - but you’re actually the person I really wanted to talk to right now.”

“How so?” Strange sipped his coffee. 

“They said the majority of my pain stems from damage to my brachial plexus,” Tony explained. “I want to use my nanotechnology to stimulate the region and convince my brain it doesn’t hurt anymore.” 

“That’s very interesting.”

“Can you help? I know you were a neurosurgeon before.” 

“Still am a neurosurgeon,” Strange corrected. 

“Sorry. Can you help?”

“If I could look over your research, I would know better if I am equipped to help you.” 

“Great! Awesome. Want to swing by tomorrow afternoon?” 

Strange hesitated. 

“Where will you be?”

“At the tower. 200 Park Ave.” 

“Ok.”

“Great. Whenever is fine, I’ll just be in my lab. F.R.I.D.A.Y. can let you in.” 

They sat at the coffee shop for another hour or so, the conversation flowing around the other Avengers, the new compound, Strange’s work at the Sanctum. Bruce and Natasha had run off on some extended vacation, and Rogers was pursuing romantic relations with a CIA agent. The Guardians returned to patrol their portion of the galaxy, and Wanda and Vision had purchased a townhouse in Brooklyn. Strange didn’t have much to do with the other Avengers, but he was pleased to hear they were doing well all the same. He hadn’t spoken to any of them since Thanos, except for one encounter with Peter Parker. Peter was attending orientation at New York University, and ran into Strange while on a walking tour. Their meeting was brief, and Peter was chatty as ever. But like many times, Strange didn’t linger long and went about his business. 

Today was no different. Their coffee cups empty, Strange excused himself to return back to the Sanctum. Tony jogged home, hating himself for not drinking some water first. He thought it was quite serendipitous to run into Strange - the very man he needed for his new project. He could have enlisted the likes of Dr. Helen Cho, but she was currently wrapped up in a project in Seoul. Maybe Strange would appreciate being able to stretch his neurosurgeon muscles again. 

After a shower, F.R.I.D.A.Y. helped Tony organize his research. He picked up his lab - getting rid of take-out boxes, beer bottles, and joint stubs. He had really let himself get messy over the past few weeks. F.R.I.D.A.Y. helped where she could, grabbing scrap metal and fried circuit boards. When Tony left his lab later that evening, it looked immaculate. He was ready for Dr. Strange. 

The next day, Tony had had a decent start. He had worked out in his gym, cooked brunch for one. Pepper called shortly after, and he got to speak with Morgan. They were on their way to the local zoo. It was nice to hear Pepper laugh, and Tony was glad to hear she hadn’t killed her mother yet. It sounded like Nana was spoiling the living bejeezus out of Morgan, but Tony didn’t say anything. They said their ‘love you’s and hung up. He missed them both, terribly, but he was comforted in the presence of his work. 

Around 2:30, F.R.I.D.A.Y. notified him that Dr. Strange was outside of the tower. Tony had F.R.I.D.A.Y. direct him to the lab. Strange was wearing his usual garb - the dark blue tunic, three belts too many, and mukluks that seemed too toasty for summer. The red cape floated behind him, appearing to take in the scenery. 

They quickly settled into the research. Strange read every single piece Tony had written or chosen for him to read, and was able to recite and absorb any of the concepts. Tony was fascinated watching the doctor work. His excitement grew as Strange began to play around with Tony’s simulations, pointing out minor errors or suggesting new directions. The two brainstormed back and forth for hours, accelerating Tony’s research past what he had hoped for this one meeting. Finally noticing the time, Tony offered to order a pizza or something, but Strange declined. Satisfied with the progress they’d made, the two agreed to meet again in a week’s time. 

For the next week, Tony could barely sleep. F.R.I.D.A.Y. was constantly annoyed with Tony’s erratic sleep schedule, and had to remind him to actually eat and call his wife. Pepper only barely noted the hint of mania in Tony’s voice, being too exhausted chasing a six-year old around the beach all day. 

When Strange arrived, he looked worn down - he had spent the week at Kamar-Taj de-hexing the library after a former recruit took revenge for being turned down for an apprenticeship. It was fairly commonplace, but Tony thought it odd there wasn’t more strict security. In light of what was going on elsewhere in the universe, Strange thought it lower in priority. 

Once again, they eagerly got into research mode. Tony was thrilled to see this side of Stephen Strange - it was like watching a child open presents on Christmas. Those blue-grey eyes seemed to shine even brighter when he was in Tony’s lab. Tony thought he had prepared for this meeting but was floored to discover Stephen’s scant research overshadowed his own. An eidetic memory probably helped. 

This time around, F.R.I.D.A.Y. made a point to have Chinese food delivered at a reasonable hour, forcing Tony and Strange to take a dinner break. They sat at the least-crowded work table, and Tony grabbed a couple of beers from his mini-fridge. 

“Stella Artois?” Stephen read the label, giving Tony a look. “Thought you would be more of a fan of micro-breweries.” 

“All breweries start as micro-breweries. And it goes down easy,” Tony said. “ I usually drink whiskey, but that doesn’t really go with Chinese.”

“No, I’m pretty sure you’re wrong - whiskey goes with anything if you try hard enough.”

“Touche.” 

They finished their meals and got back to work. Tony was relieved to see that the cloak had stopped hovering directly over the pair, seeming to get used to Tony’s presence. It wandered around the lab, interacting with F.R.I.D.A.Y. and generally inspecting things. Strange stayed until the early hours of the morning. 

Over the next few weeks, Strange came over and they worked late into the night. F.R.I.D.A.Y. always ordered from different places for takeout, and Tony mixed up his selection of beers. By mid-August they had developed a prototype of synthetic skin that could be placed over Tony’s shoulder. It wasn’t an immediate cure, but it was a promising therapy that could ease some of his pain and inflammation. 

“I think this calls for a toast,” Tony said, holding a glass of whiskey over to Strange. They had migrated up to Tony’s apartment, deciding a night cap would be a nice way to end the evening. “To science, and to you. Thank you, Strange.” 

“And to new friendships. Thank you, Stark, for letting me into your lab. It’s been an absolute pleasure watching you work.” 

They clinked glasses and drank. Tony noticed Strange’s eyes glimmered in the low light. 

“What’s your next project?” Strange asked. He took a seat in one of the lounge chairs, and Tony sat on the couch. 

“I’m not sure. Trials should keep me busy for a couple of months. Got any ideas?” 

“Your friend Colonel Rhodes,” Strange started, “We should design an interface for him. Make less-bulky braces so he could wear regular pants.” 

“Speaking of pants, are those the only ones you own?” 

Strange laughed. “I have a limited wardrobe, yes.” 

“We could go shopping, you know. I’m more than happy to buy you some new pants.” 

“What’s it to you? I don’t need any new clothes, Stark.”

“Fine. And you should call me Tony, really. I know we’re probably way past that by now but I’d like to think we’re comfortable addressing each other by our first names.” 

“Ok, Tony,” Stephen grinned, taking a sip from his glass. 

“Stephen,” Tony really enjoyed saying his name. “We’re unveiling the Avengers Compound in a couple of weeks; gonna have a big party. Will you come?” 

“I’ll have to check my calendar.” Tony’s face sinks. “I’m joking, Tony, I’d be happy to come. It’d be nice to see everyone… it’s been a year since…”

“Yeah, it sounds more cheery if you say it’s because the construction is completed. Not…”

“A year since you died?” Stephen finished, studying Tony’s face. 

“More whiskey?” Tony poured some for Stephen and himself. He didn’t like to think what would have happened if he had died - what would have happened to Pepper, to Morgan, to Peter. “I am grateful for your company these past few weeks. It’s been a really nice distraction from… I guess what I’m saying is I’d like to buy you dinner sometime. As a thank you. I wouldn’t be here without you.” 

“What are you doing next week?” 

“Going back upstate, the girls will be back next week.”

“Ah.” 

Tony and Stephen didn’t really talk about Pepper and Morgan. Stephen didn’t ask and Tony didn’t share. It was one of those things that Tony ignored entirely. It didn’t feel exactly relevant to what he and Stephen discussed; Tony was more than happy to assume the status of bachelor when Stephen was around. It almost made Tony feel guilty. 

Almost. 


	2. Go Your Own Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper returns; Tony tries to be a good dad. Stephen comes to the Avengers party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Loving you  
>  Isn't the right thing to do  
> How can I ever change things that I feel?_
> 
> \- Fleetwood Mac

Pepper and Morgan returned unscathed. Tony was waiting at the lakehouse for them, lunch ready. When Happy drove up the driveway, Tony was setting the table on the porch. Four spots, one for each of them. 

Morgan was the first to hop out of the car and high tail it to the house. She ran towards Tony at full sprint, screaming. 

“DADDY!”

“Hi pumpkin!” Tony scooped her up and covered her in kisses. “How ya doin?”

“Happy gave me candy!” She unfolded her little hands to show Tony melted remnants of colorful candy-coated chocolates. 

“That’s great honey, do me a favor and shove that in your mouth before mommy sees.” He put Morgan down, letting her run off. He took Pepper’s travel bag from her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “How was the flight?”

“I thought our airport was small, but no.  _ Their _ airport is small. It took us an hour to get clearance! Absolutely ridiculous. How was your day?” 

“No complaints. I made cajun wings, what level spicy do you want?” 

“3 please.” 

“Comin’ right up.” 

Tony disappeared into the house while Pepper put her feet up on the porch. It was a perfect summer day, a nice dry heat complemented by the cool breeze coming from over the lake. Once Happy was done putting the luggage away, he joined her at the table outside. Tony brought them both some fruity cocktails. Morgan was rounded up and after her hands were washed, Tony served lunch. 

Morgan decided mid-meal that she wasn’t hungry and climbed into Tony’s lap. He was happy she hadn’t decided over the summer that she was too big for that, and he was still able to cuddle her while chatting with the adults. It was good to see Pepper too, a summer in the sun made her look radiant. 

The first few days of their return, Tony was good. He played with Morgan endlessly, showered Pepper with affection. At night, when he was listening to Pepper’s breath as she was sleeping - his mind wandered to a certain man he had been spending a lot of time with. Stephen was incredibly intelligent - inspiring, even - and he had this wonderfully mysterious side that Tony only really got to hear about in small increments. His curiosity knew no bounds and he was extremely quick witted. He had a really dry sense of humor, and was one of the rare people who could make Tony laugh. 

It was early the next morning when Tony realized he hadn’t slept at all, merely slipped into a catatonic trance thinking about Stephen. He feigned illness when Pepper had gotten out of bed, and decided to rest for the remainder of the day. With Morgan gone at friend’s house, he didn’t feel the least bit guilty sleeping the day away. That night he went to his makeshift lab in the garden shed and stayed up all night working. 

“Tony,” Pepper buzzed in, “Can you talk to me please?”

“I’m fine!” Tony hollered. He was going over footage from his and Stephen’s research sessions, taking notes of important breakthroughs. F.R.I.D.A.Y. had already transcribed all of their meetings, but there was something comforting about hearing Stephen’s smooth baritone voice rattle off equations and probabilities. 

“I have lunch for you.” Tony could see Pepper through the camera, holding a tray of food. 

“I’m not hungry.” 

“We’re going to Playland this afternoon, if you want to join us.” 

Silence. 

“Please don’t do this to me again, Tony.” 

Silence. Pepper placed the tray of food down on a chair, and placed a hand on the door.

“I picked up your suit at the dry cleaners. It’s hanging in the laundry room… please don’t forget the ceremony is at seven thirty tomorrow, we need to be there by six.”

Silence. 

“I love you,” Pepper said quietly, and walked away. 

Tony crumpled the piece of paper he was writing on and punched the table. What was he doing here? He should be out there, enjoying his beautiful family. Instead, he was locked in his garden shed, hyperventilating with his head between his knees. Deciding a run might help, Tony waited for Pepper, Morgan, and Happy to leave. He took off down the dirt road, hoping a couple of hours of exercise would clear his head. 

The next day, Tony resurfaced in the late morning. He had only kind of slept, spending most of his time pacing circles into the floor and irritating the shit out of F.R.I.D.A.Y.. He kissed Pepper on the lips like nothing happened, swung Morgan around, and proceeded to get ready for the ceremony. Morgan was going to sleep over at a neighbor’s house, so they had to leave extra early to get her settled. 

Pepper didn’t say anything, but she certainly was stepping on eggshells around Tony as they got ready. Their conversation didn’t extend beyond small talk - Pepper updating him on gossip, Tony mentioning the weather. Tony couldn’t decide if he should be overly affectionate, or overtly distant - so he settled on charmingly civil. 

It seemed to work. After they had dropped off Morgan, Pepper was talkative as usual. Tony was silently wondering what time Stephen would arrive when he felt Pepper jabbing his ribcage. 

  
“Ow! What!” 

“Are you listening to me? I said the caterers aren’t Dinato’s; they’re some new hippie thing out of Glenville -”

“That’s cool.”

“That’s not cool, Tony! Dinato went out of business after thirty years in this community. It’s shameful and I wish you had read some of the articles I forwarded you sometimes.” 

Tony was staring out the window, watching the trees go by. 

“Hello? Are you in there, stranger?” 

“Huh?” Tony’s ears perked up. Pepper placed her hand over his. 

“Where are you these days?” 

“I’m here.” 

“Your daughter misses you, Tony. I miss you.”

“I know. I know,” Tony squeezed her hand. He did feel bad about keeping Pepper in the dark about so many things. Sometimes he wondered if she fully grasped how much he kept from her. “I just  _ feel _ like I’m on the verge of something.”

“What could be more important than being with your family?”

“I’m still broken, Pep,” He looked at her then, watching her big blue eyes rim with tears. “Do you think I don’t want to be there? It kills me. I  _ want _ to be present, and I  _ want _ to be a good father, a good husband. But there’s something bubbling up inside of me and I  _ need _ … I need time. And space. Please.”

A tear rolled down her cheek. 

“I’m here for you Tony, whatever you need,” she said.

“I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too.” He pulled her into a hug. 

“Hey,” he said gently, lifting her chin. “Don’t get my suit wet.” 

Half an hour later, Happy pulled the Rolls Royce up to the new entrance to the Avengers Compound. A valet was waiting. Happy let Pepper and Tony out, but placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder. 

“A moment, Mr. Stark?” 

“Sure,” Tony said. “Pep, go ahead honey. I’ll meet you inside.”

She kissed Tony on the cheek. Tony and Happy watched her walk up the stairs. Happy turned to Tony and said, “Can I be frank with you, Tone?”

“What’s up buddy?”

“You are fucking this up.” Happy poked him in the chest. Tony stopped and squared his shoulders. 

“Excuse me, Hogan?”

“With Pepper. And Morgan. You are. Fucking. This. Up.” 

“That was a private conversation.” 

“You had the intercom on, I know. But I love them, Tony. And I love you too. Don’t be fucking stupid.” Happy walked up the steps, leaving Tony alone. 

Tony couldn’t breathe. Happy’s words stabbed him in the chest and he felt like he was suffocating. Going inside at the moment didn’t exactly appeal to him, so he decided to follow a path to the waterfront. It was a lot closer than it used to be. 

And who the fuck did Happy think he was to have a say in Tony’s personal life? He might be their body guard, maybe they considered him family but Jesus. If Tony’s mother was alive he certainly wouldn’t let her talk to him like that. His and Pepper’s relationship was just that - his and Pepper’s. Anyone who wanted to say something about it could fuck right off. 

“I think you’re headed in the wrong direction Tony,” a familiar voice said. Tony snapped out of his angry thoughts to see none other than a smiling Steve Rogers. Tony tried to say hi, but no words came out. Steve’s brows furrowed with concern. “Hey, are you ok?”

Steve threw his arm over Tony’s shoulders and guided him to a bench. 

“Can you speak, Tone?” 

Tony looked at Steve’s perfect face. He exhaled shakily. 

“That’s good, try again.” Steve exaggerated taking a breath and Tony tried to replicate his actions. His mind was spiraling. Physically, he felt paralyzed. But now on top of the anxiety he was experiencing thanks to Hogan, Rogers was going to see him in his most vulnerable state. Steve was rubbing his back, encouraging him to breathe. Embarrassed, Tony hung his head between his knees. 

“Don’t pity me, Rogers.” 

“I’m not.” 

Tony sat up, feeling slightly recovered. He could still feel the veins pulsing in his face. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Steve said. Neither man looked one another in the eye. 

“Don’t get married, Steve. It’s a fucking nightmare.” 

“Duly noted.” 

When Tony felt normal again, he and Steve took the footpath back to the compound. Turns out that the CIA agent Steve was seeing was Sharon Carter. Things were going really well between the two of them. Tony was happy for them, of course. Tony wasn’t a nostalgic person, but he could see the appeal of a budding romance. From the way Steve was describing Sharon, Tony wondered if he had ever really worshipped Pepper the way in which she deserved. 

By the time Tony and Steve arrived, the atrium was filled with family and friends of the Avengers. There were former field agents, some government officials, and select members of the press. Pepper had done a good job keeping the party as “small” as possible. Tony scanned the crowd for a certain wizard. 

“Hey you,” Natasha emerged from the throng, holding Bruce’s hand. She hugged Tony. “CNN is here, I didn’t think you would show up after your last interview.” 

He stuck his tongue out at her. “Don’t you have a cliff to throw yourself off of, or something?” 

“Ha ha.” 

“Banner!” Tony pulled Bruce in for a hug. He hadn’t seen either of them for a few months. They had visited him, separately, while he was still rehabilitating. “How are ya?”

“Good, man, how are you? Everything working good?” 

“Oh, you know. Shiny as ever,” Tony grinned. “Who else is here?” 

“Uh, everyone pretty much. We were just talking to T’Challa and his sister; Wanda and Vision came in just before you guys.” Bruce hugged Steve, who excused himself to go find his date. “I’m gonna go grab some drinks; you still drink martinis, Tony?”

“Extra dry, dirty. Thanks. Nat?”

“I’ll have a Manhattan.” 

“Awesome. Be right back.” Tony and Nat watched him leave. 

“So how’s things with you two? Did you make it official?” 

“I think we’re going to buy a house,” Nat said, smiling. 

“That serious, huh?” 

“We just had a really, really  _ nice _ vacation.” 

“Sealed the deal?” 

“Oh, hush. Just because you’re jealous.” 

Tony shrugged.

“How’s your family?” Nat asked. 

“Great, Pepper’s great, Morgan’s great.” 

“Sounds great.” She eyed him suspiciously. Tony was busy looking over her shoulder. 

“Tony, who are you looking for?”

“No one.”

“Uh huh.” 

“Just… you haven’t seen Strange, have you?” 

Before Natasha could respond, Bruce came back holding three drinks in his hand. Nat carefully extracted her glass, and handed Tony his. Tony stayed and chatted with the couple briefly, then made his excuses to meander the crowd. 

He stopped to talk to Clint and his wife; to Carol Danvers and her partner. He was about to make his way over to Thor when someone ran into his back. 

“Hey!” Tony shouted, recouping what was left of his martini. 

“Sorry Mr. Stark!” Peter Parker ran by, followed by a giggling Shuri. It was then Tony spotted the man he had been waiting for - Stephen Strange had arrived. 

He looked lonely in the entrance. No one particularly noticed his appearance besides Tony. Again, Tony could feel his blood pressure rising but it wasn’t as constricting as earlier. Stephen smiled as Tony got closer.

“Tony,” he said. “The place looks fantastic.”

“Glad you could make it, Stephen,” Tony said, pulling him in for a quick hug. “Find the place okay?” 

Stephen narrowed his eyes. 

“I’m joking. Let’s get you a drink, alright? Geez.” Tony patted the wizard on the back, and pulled him into the crowd. 

He couldn’t keep his hands off of Stephen. Tony introduced him to new people, guiding him with a hand on the small of his back. Even though he was wearing that one damn outfit he usually wore, Tony couldn’t help but admire his broad shoulders and long torso. He watched Stephen as he laughed with Thor, watching the way his hands trembled as he spoke. They still looked incredibly muscular and masculine. Tony made his way over to the bar. 

“Two whiskeys, please. Neat.” The bartender nodded and walked away to make his order. 

“Your date is wearing an unusual outfit,” Tony turned around. Happy was sitting at the bar sipping a beer. 

“The fuck are you on about, Hogan?”

“Oh nothing,” Happy said nonchalantly, “I just thought your wife had blonde hair and blue eyes, not a beard and a red cape.” 

Happy was spared of Tony’s wrath by the arrival of the bartender, who placed the drinks down. Tony threw back his own drink like a shot, and grabbed the other glass for Stephen. 

“Don’t say anything you’d regret,” Tony said menacingly. He made his way back to Stephen, roughly shoving the glass in his hand. He pushed past the group to make his way through glass doors leading to the pavilion. He barely heard Stephen calling his name when darkness clouded his vision again. Tony was clutching the concrete railing, gasping for breath when Stephen reached out to him - 

“Don’t!” Tony stumbled, “Don’t come near me.”

Stephen held his hands out, as if he was ready to catch Tony if he fell. 

“I won’t if you don’t want me to,” he said calmly. “Tell me how I can help.”

They were out of view from the party inside. Tony was grateful. He didn’t need anyone else to witness his second panic attack of the evening. 

“Go away.”

“I know you don’t want me to.”

Tony took in a haggard breath.

“You need to breathe, Tony.”

He barely noticed Stephen’s hands moving out of the corner of his eyes. All of a sudden an extreme sense of calm washed over him, and he was able to take a deep breath. It was painful. Tony cried as his breath shuddered to normal. He steadied himself on the railing, and Stephen held out his whiskey. Tony took a sip and tried to hand it back, but the sorcerer refused. 

“I think you need it more than I do,’ He managed a weak smile. 

“Thank you for that… that thing,” Tony waved his hand in the air haphazardly. They stood in silence momentarily, watching the boats in the harbor. Tony spoke first. 

“Do you ever wish you were someone else, Doc?” Tony’s voice quivered. Stephen knew it was a rhetorical question, and tilted his head in response. “I just… every fucking thing I do… I seem to mess shit up. I can’t escape from it. I ruin things. I really should have just kept making things that blow up; it was a perfect metaphor for my personal life. And it’d be one thing if I wasn’t fully aware I was being a total dick, but there is  _ no _ denying that now and I still can’t  _ fucking stop _ .”

Stephen stepped close to Tony and caressed his face. 

“Tony, you are magnificent,”he said, and closed the gap between them with a passionate kiss. When they pulled apart, Tony felt a burst of emotion as he studied the face of the man he admired so much. He was about to say something back when they heard the click of heels on concrete.


	3. Wish You Were Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange leaves the party early, Thor gets philosophical, Tony seduces Pepper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,  
>  Running over the same old ground.  
> What have we found?  
> The same old fears.  
> Wish you were here.  
> _
> 
> \- Pink Floyd

“ _ There  _ you are! I’ve been looking all over for you,” Pepper walked up to Tony, grabbing the glass of whiskey out of his hand. “Hi, Dr. Strange, so good to see you,” And she turned back to Tony. “You were supposed to give your speech half an hour ago. Are you ready? Can I tell them to get started?” 

“Uh yeah, of course. Can I just have a few minutes with Dr. Strange here? We were in the middle of a um… serious conversation.” 

“I’ll give you  _ two minutes _ , mister. Don’t even think about trying to get out of this.” She gave Tony a peck on the cheek, waved to Strange, and headed back inside. 

“I shouldn’t have done that,” Stephen said softly, pulling back. “You were confiding in me, and -”

“That’s one way to get me to shut up,” Tony said. He leaned in, guiding Stephen’s lips to his for a gentle kiss. 

“You should probably go,” Stephen said, his hand resting on Tony’s chest. “They’re waiting for you.”

“Yeah… you’re stickin’ around, right? We have a presentation later.” 

“Of course.” 

“Ok…” Tony backed away slowly, not wanting to leave. “See you later.” 

“See you.” Stephen nodded, then turned his attention back to the sunset. 

  
  


“Friends, Avengers…” Tony said into the microphone, “We’re here today not only to celebrate the reconstruction of the compound, but to commemorate those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. We are all able to stand here - blood pumping through our veins, air coursing through our lungs - because of those brave souls. We are able to rebuild. To train. To bring in a new generation of Avengers so that their sacrifice is not in vain.” 

He looked at Pepper off-stage, who nodded encouragingly. 

“We are, without any doubt, Earth’s greatest defense. Under the discerning command of Colonel James Rhodes, and with the help of Stark Industries, we will continue to develop and improve the Avengers program. With that, I will leave you in the extremely competent hands of my dearest friend, Colonel Rhodes.” 

Tony hugged Rhodey and gave him the microphone. He moved to Pepper’s side. 

“You did great,” she whispered, and kissed him on the cheek. 

  
  
  


After the speeches were done, anyone who was interested followed Rhodes to the airplane hangar to witness a demonstration of new personal shield technology. Tony opted to stay behind. He found Thor sitting by himself in a corner, with a table full of appetizers and several empty pint glasses. 

“Tony!” Thor shouted. “Man of the hour. How does it feel to have saved all of mankind?” 

“You mean half?”

“Oh that’s right. I’ve had several… tee-pahs. Triple india pale ales. Did you know… in Iceland, there’s a brewmaster who makes beer from whale-testicle smoked in sheep dung?” 

Tony blanched at the visual. “Sounds delicious.”

“I’ll let you know, I’m headed there tomorrow,” Thor slammed an empty plate down, and moved on to the next plate. 

“Still on that journey of self-discovery, I see.”

“You know Tony,” Thor delicately ate around a chicken wing, “The beautiful thing is,  _ that journey never ends _ . You could probably spend your entire puny midgardian life, wandering around aimlessly, and unless you make an effort to know yourself - you never will. And why would you? It’s so much easier just to be miserable all of the time.”

The demigod chugged another beer. 

“What about you, Tony Stark? How’s your journey?”

“Uh… doin’ a little every day I guess.”

“You need to find something you enjoy,” Thor said. “Forgetting all of the responsible, boring, busy life crap - find a way to be true to your authentic self.” 

“Thanks for the pep talk buddy. You didn’t see Dr. Strange anywhere while you were sitting here being your authentic self, did you?”

“The little wizard?” Thor threw his head back, fingers tapping his chin. 

“Yes.”

“Now that you mention it, I think he left before your little speech,” said Thor. Noting Tony’s disappointed face, he added, “And that was a great speech Tony, I mean, really, really great.” 

Tony was relieved when Sam Wilson came over to distract Thor, and took his leave. His mind was moving a million miles an hour - did Stephen leave because of him? What did that moment outside even mean? Was it possible that Stephen wanted the same thing as Tony? What the hell did Tony even want? 

The demonstration must have ended, as people were slowly filtering into the atrium again. Tony was feeling the urge to leave, to run away - to go find that damn sorcerer and figure out what this all meant. He was considering grabbing Pepper and convincing her to leave early, when he looked over to see her hooked on Happy’s arm. Happy was leaning in close to her ear (too close for Tony’s comfort, anyway), and she was laughing. 

Not even that coy little laugh she does when she’s too shy to refuse someone’s attention, but no - the kind of laugh Tony usually gets out of her after they’ve had a bottle of wine. And Happy, that shifty little fucker, was laughing too. He was looking like some shade of smug bastard that Tony didn’t appreciate. This simply would not do. He was going to intervene, but he certainly wasn’t going to be empty-handed. 

“Whiskey, neat, and an extra dry martini with three olives, please - no, make it four,” Tony said to the bartender. He looked over at Pepper and Happy, secluded in a corner. It looked like Happy was telling a rather animated story, and Pepper playfully punched him in the arm. Drinks in hand, Tony marched over. 

“Hey sweetheart, how was the presentation?” Tony came up behind Pepper, and handed her her drink.

“Oh, thank you! I was just about to order another one,” she said gleefully. 

“Anything for my girl,” Tony said, making a point to glare at the fat piece of man meat standing next to Pepper. She didn’t notice. “So it went well?”

“Oh, yes! Everything went wonderfully,” Pepper said, mid-sip. “I do think Peter had way too much fun shooting at Rhodey with the quad blasters though, maybe you should talk to him about that.” 

“Tact isn’t exactly in his toolbox. He’s a work in progress,” said Tony. He placed his hand on Pepper’s lower back, gently guiding her towards himself. “Nat had some questions for you about purchasing residential property near Central Park, do you think you could weigh in?” 

“They’re going to buy a house?? That’s so exciting! I haven’t even seen Bruce yet!” Pepper excused herself to go find Natasha, leaving the two men in the corner. 

“Did you try the mango shrimp? The chutney is to die for,” Tony said, lowering his voice.

“You know I have a shellfish allergy,” Happy responded through gritted teeth. 

“Shame. Wish you’d try it anyway,” and Tony walked away to go find his wife. 

  
  
  


The rest of the evening was spent socializing and dancing. A live band was performing, and Tony never let Pepper leave his side. It felt almost like old times - Tony whispering sweet nothings in her ear and making her laugh. If they hadn’t been drinking all night she might have been suspicious, but the alcohol helped let her guard down. Tony wasn’t entirely sure if he was trying to prove something to himself, or to Pepper maybe - but his intent was clear. He was going to reclaim Pepper as his by the end of the night. 

It was a slow dance. Tony was enjoying holding Pepper close, but he was also enjoying the feel of his clothed hard length rubbing against her body. 

“Tony,” she giggled. 

“Wanna go fuck in a supply closet?” He whispered, his breath hot on her ear.

“No,” she said adamantly. “We’re not teenagers. We can fuck at home like normal adults.” 

“Why do we have to wait til home?” Tony whined. 

“Tony, I’m not putting my pussy on display because you can’t wait an hour.” 

“How about in the car?”

“Are you insane?”

“No,” he kissed her neck, “It’ll be hot. Just me and you, honey. I just want to hear you scream while you come around my fat cock.” 

Pepper blushed. “I guess… you can go get Happy, I just need to freshen up before we leave.” 

“Perfect. Meet you out front.” 

  
  
  


‘Hey,” Tony approached Happy, who was sitting by his lonesome in a corner. “Bring the car around, would you? And make sure the partition is up.” 

Tony winked at the sulking man. 

  
  
  


He did feel a little like a teenager. His hands were all over Pepper as soon as she got in the car. He slipped his hand into her dress to cup her breast, while his other hand held her head in the perfect position for kissing. She forced him to take off his suit jacket, and ripped his tie off. 

“Get on me,” He said, pushing her dress up while she straddled him. His hand was sneaking up her leg and he was shocked when he didn’t find a fabric barrier. “No underwear?”

“It’s silk I didn’t want panty lines,” Pepper shrugged. The car suddenly took a sharp turn, and Tony held onto Pepper while he turned on the intercom. 

“Hey Hogan, take it easy. We want to take the long way home,” and he turned his attention back to his wife. She was busy trying to pull Tony’s member out of his pants. He wasn’t exaggerating earlier - his cock was quite girthy. Pepper’s hands looked extra small when her hands were wrapped around his length. He lifted off of the seat so she could pull his pants down to his knees. She bit her lip and moaned as she started to pump Tony’s cock. He slipped his fingers underneath her dress and was pleased to discover she was already wet. She moaned into his ear while he worked his fingers into her, careful to curl his hand and rub that sweet spot inside of her. 

“You’re so wet for me, baby,” he removed his fingers, tweaked her nipple with it, and held his fingers out for her to taste. “Sit on me.”

“Yes, Tony,” she moaned into his ear. Holding her hips, he guided her slowly to the tip of his cock, pulled her down so her warmth only grasped the head. She quivered. “Fuck, you’re so big!”

He groaned as he slowly brought her down to the base of his cock. She wasn’t usually so vocal, but he suspected the summer dry spell and hours of flirting had probably worked her up a bit. He could feel every vibration from her cunt resonating down the length of his dick. His balls were so taut they slapped her quim every time he thrust up into her. 

Pepper was using the headrest to hold on for dear life. She was relying on Tony to lift her off of himself and she would force herself back down. Lost in the feel of her gripping him, his mind wandered briefly to that moment on the pavilion. He imagined holding Stephen close, grinding into him. Tony almost lost it wondering what Stephen’s pretty cupid bow lips would look like wrapped around his cock. Even better, what would it be like if Stephen were above him right now? Shifting his butt down the seat to get even deeper, Pepper howled. 

“Fuck, I’m coming, I’m coming!” She moved faster, her other hand palming at Tony’s chest. 

“Come on my cock, honey,” he encouraged her, and she gasped. He felt her whole body shake, and then her muscles gripped him in waves. She was breathing heavily, and leaned down to kiss Tony. He kept moving in her, slowly. 

“That was so good,” she smiled into his neck. 

“It’s not over yet.”

“No?” 

‘Pepper,” he said, grinding slowly, “I need you to come again. And then,” he buried himself completely, and pulled out tantalizingly slow. “I’m going to fill you up.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah honey. Do you want me to come inside you?” 

“Yesss,” she moaned. He could feel her get excited again, her tired muscles responding to his thrusts. He lifted her dress so he could watch his cock disappear inside of her. She took command while he watched, and pinched her own nipples. Tony was entranced. His cock was covered in their juices, and every time she slid back down he wanted to thrust into her even harder. He kissed Pepper, and got her to move so he could lie down completely. He pictured Stephen writhing above him, eyes closed in ecstasy, working himself to orgasm. Tony started thrusting into Pepper earnestly, and her moans intensified. 

“Touch yourself,” he said, feeling his balls start to tighten. “You better come so fuckin’ hard.”

He rammed into her, feeling the gentle swipe of her fingers as she played with her clit. Her moans only got louder.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! Tonyyyy!” She screamed, her muscles contracting even harder than before. Tony’s hips automatically shot up and he emptied his load into her, feeling several spurts leave his cock. As his cock twitched, Pepper shivered. “Holy shit. Fuck.”

He loved that sex turned Pepper into a swearing sailor. She laid down awkwardly on top of him, both of them barely fitting on the seat. 

“Ok that… that was amazing.” 

“I think I blacked out a little bit. Who are you again?” Tony joked, earning a swat from Pepper. “Sit up though, I think my legs are numb.” 

Getting into normal sitting positions, Tony pulled Pepper under his arm and kissed her. As they pulled into their driveway, Tony made sure to switch the intercom off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the slow burn. Just had to take care of the Pepper problem. Leave a comment if you like!


	4. Start Me Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony gives Peter keys to the kingdom; reminisces on his death. Tony calls Stephen back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I've been running hot  
>  You got me ticking going to blow my top  
> If you start me up  
> If you start me up I'll never stop  
> Never stop, never stop, never stop_
> 
> \- Rolling Stones

Tony started the trials by himself. If Stephen Strange was going to fuck off to some end of the universe and not tell anyone, it certainly wasn’t Tony’s problem. Not that he didn’t try, anyway. Maybe Strange was in a different realm and didn’t have cell phone service. Maybe he was sitting at the New York Sanctum too scared to leave. 

Tony didn’t know, and he willed himself not to care. Much. He’d played that chasing game before - okay only loosely, with Pepper, and maybe one guy in grad school. But he decided he was too old for that shit. He was going to be 50 the next year! If Strange actually wanted anything to do with him, he would have to reach out. So Tony waited. 

He started out wearing his synthetic skin patch a couple of hours each day. He stopped doing the pulse therapy, for now, and created a rigorous schedule that would have him sleeping through the night with the patch on by Christmas. If everything worked correctly, Tony would see a 15% increase in flexibility, and a 10% decrease in pain. He only needed to go to Stark Tower once a week or so, to adjust the patch or to take Peter out for dinner. Much to Tony’s dislike, Ned often joined them. 

As Peter’s freshman year fall semester took place, Tony found himself balancing spending time in the city to be with Peter, and being home by 3 to see Morgan off of the school bus. Pepper was working longer days but thankfully, she was able to work remotely on Fridays. In an effort to preserve his sanity, Tony begged Pepper to let him stay at Stark Tower once a week. She and Morgan could have a little girls night, and he could stay up for 36 hours straight and work without anyone bothering him. 

Except for Peter, of course. Tony was generally concerned for the young man. He started joining Tony’s Friday night powwows, which would have been fine if Tony was convinced he had a healthy social life. But Peter didn’t - even  _ Ned _ was going out and partying, and Peter would rather spend his time with a man over twice his age. 

“Hey kid,” Tony said, lifting one side of Peter’s headphones. “We have to talk.”

Peter looked up from the circuit board he was soldering. “What’s up, Mr. Stark?”

“We need to talk about you. Why are you here? You should be going out and meeting girls. Or boys. Whatever you’re into.” 

“I like girls!” Peter’s voice increased in pitch. “I just… I just don’t know how to talk to them that’s all.”

“You’re not going to learn being in here with me, anyway. I’d offer to take you out and show you, but I’m fairly sure that’d be looked down on as ‘creepy’...”

“I like spending time with you, Mr. Stark, but the university’s lab isn’t as well equipped as yours.” 

“Aww I’m flattered.” 

“I’m serious!” 

“Ok look - why don’t I give you a key and you can come work whenever you like?” 

Peter’s face lit up.

“Oh BOY thank you Mr. Stark! That would be amazing! I could bring Ned here -”

“Hold it, hold it - there are rules, Spiderboy. One - no Ned. I repeat, do not bring Ned here. Don’t bring anyone here. This is for you only. Ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to let you in so that I know you’re here. Two - you are not allowed to make any heavy elements. Three - no lasers, unless it won’t cut a copper wire.” 

“Aw man,” Peter pouted. 

“You can do stuff like that when I’m here, not when I’m playing ‘Pretty Pretty Princess’ with Morgan an hour away.” 

“Who’s the Princess?”

“Morgan?” Tony said, and when Peter grinned widely, Tony threw the rubik’s cube he was fiddling with in his direction. 

“I was kidding, Mr. Stark! I was kidding!”

  
  
  


Later that evening, Tony had just gotten off the phone with Pepper. She and Morgan were painting their nails and watching princess movies. 

“Hey boss,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. chimed in, “Stephen Strange called and left a voicemail. Would you like to listen to it now?”

“Yeah, let me do a soundcheck first,” Tony said, looking at the hunched over form of Peter Parker. He had his headphones on, head bobbing up and down to the beat. Tony forced him to wear it after Peter played way too many auto-tuned pop songs. “Spiderman is a dumb name.”

Peter continued working. 

“Harry Styles should have won a Grammy.” 

“X-men is overrated.”

“Patrick Stewart makes a shitty Picard.” Satisfied with zero reaction from the teenager, Tony said, “Ok. Go ahead.” 

“ _ Tony _ ,” Stephen’s voice crackled over the speakers, “ _ I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to contact you.There was an imminent threat the night of the party, and Wong requested my presence immediately. I’ve only just gotten back to New York _ ...” Of course there was an ‘emergency’, the skeptic in Tony’s brain thought, “ _ I’ve had some thoughts about your nano-neuroreceptors, I don’t know if you started trials yet but I would suggest reducing the gamma epsilon factor by three-percent, you may increase damage to your brachial artery by association  _ -”

All business, this one. Tony was still feeling a little salty about the so-called threat and his mind wandered, imagining what convenient wizard-problem would arise that would pull Stephen away after they had their ‘moment’. 

“ -  _ appreciate you opening up to me, I feel privileged that you would confide in me. I feel even luckier to call you my friend and I hope my actions haven’t jeopardized that. Now that I’m back, if you’ll have me, I would lo… really enjoy taking you up on that offer of dinner. Again, I apologize. The only regret I have is not being able to say good-bye properly that night and… please call me back. _ ” 

“Thanks F.R.I.,” Tony said, blinking back tears. He let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He surmised this - Stephen didn’t regret the kiss, and he wanted to have dinner with Tony. This Tony could do. 

“Was that Dr. Strange, Mr. Stark?” Peter interrupted Tony’s thoughts. “What did you say to him? Are you going on a date? Why is he apologizing?” 

“HEY Jesus Christ, kid. What did I tell you about minding your own business?” Tony said, glaring. Peter was brimming with energy. “We’re working on a project together, and it’s not a date. I’m thanking him for saving my life.” Tony slammed down whatever he was holding and Peter squirmed in his chair. 

“Did you open up to him, Mr. Stark?” Peter looked so invested, but Tony couldn’t do it. 

“Nope, no, nope! We aren’t doing this today.”

“But what did you say! I’ve been telling you you need to talk to someone, Mr. Stark, although a real doctor would be nice - “

“He is a real doctor!”

“Really? I thought that was just part of his fake name.”

“What? His name is Dr. Strange. That’s literally his name.”

“But I mean a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist, Mr. Stark. I don’t want to lose you like…like…” and Peter’s face screwed up and Tony could just tell there was an ugly cry coming. He walked over to Peter and cradled the young man. Peter sobbed into his chest. “It was so scary, Mr. Stark. Thanos was gone but then F.R.I.D.A.Y. said you were dying and Mrs. Pepper was saying good-bye and then we went to that weird wizard palace-“

“Shh it’s okay kid. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. You got me.” 

  
  
  


Tony didn’t talk about the day he died. From what Pepper had told him, he had actually died on the battlefield. Strange had acted swiftly, making a portal to the Sanctum and Pepper, Rhodey, and Peter carried Tony through. Locking the others out of the room, Strange had performed some serious magic and then sent Tony through another portal, directly to Metropolitan General Hospital. There, he was operated on by both Strange and his good friend, Dr. Christine Palmer. 

When Tony woke up in the hospital room, Pepper was by his side. Her sleeping form was snuggled up to his left arm - his good arm, which he only noticed because his other arm hurt like hell. 

“Hey Pep?” Tony tried to shake his good arm, but apparently it was numb. “PEP?”

“Huh? Oh my god, Tony, you’re awake!” The blonde smothered him with kisses.

“Hi, yes sweetheart -”

“How are you feeling? I was so worried you wouldn’t wake up -”

“Honey I feel like I’m dying still - is there a morphine drip somewhere?”

“Oh, sorry!” Pepper helped him with a dose of morphine and sat back in her chair. He felt the morphine do its thing - it didn’t take away the pain entirely but it certainly helped. They sat in silence for a moment and then Pepper scrunched up her face and smacked him. 

“Ow! What!” 

“How dare you,” Pepper glared at Tony, a hard 180 from three seconds ago. 

“How dare I what?  _ Die _ ?”

“Will you shut up Tony? I can’t believe - what if you had died and left me and Morgan -” and Pepper sobbed, dissolving into a hysterical mess before Tony’s eyes. 

“Hey, hey,” he tried to console her, but was rather limited in upper body strength at the moment. “C’mere.” He patted the bed, indicating for her to snuggle up to his good side. She settled right beneath his chin. 

“I was so scared we lost you,” she said, quietly. 

“I know, babygirl.” He ran his fingers through her hair, and rubbed her shoulder. He never wanted her to feel this pain ever again. A gentle knock on the door interrupted their reverie. 

“Hi, I’m Dr. Palmer. Glad to see you’re awake. I operated on you with St -... Dr. Strange.” Christine blushed. “How are you feeling, Mr. Stark?”

“It’s Tony. And I’m fine. I mean, apart from my arm feeling like it’s on fire, I’m fine.” Pepper stared at him. “What?”

“That’s to be expected, Tony,” Christine put her clipboard under her arm and walked towards Tony, “You experienced a lot of nerve damage - frankly I’m surprised you still have nerves, after what Stephen told me - “

“Yeah where is the little bugger?” Tony held out his good finger for Christine to get a blood oxygen reading. 

“He had to leave, unfortunately,” Christine’s brow furrowed as she marked Tony’s chart. “He always does.” 

  
  


Looking back on it, Tony shouldn’t have been surprised. Strange had always seemed aloof in regards to the Avengers, always managing to step in at the right time. It was perfect timing then, right when Tony had almost come to terms with reconciling completely with Pepper, that Strange should leave him that saucy voicemail that nearly brought Tony to his knees.

Would he call him? Yes, absolutely. If it wasn’t for Peter, Tony would call him back immediately. Instead, he waited for Peter to head back to his dormitory. It was late, and Tony was in desperate need of a shower. 

He turned the knob in the shower on and waited for the hot water. Examining his own naked body, Tony traced his hand over numerous scars - remnants of Thanos, various battle wounds. Most noticeably, Tony was getting excited thinking about calling Stephen, his cock feeling heavy in his hand. He stepped into the shower, sighing. 

“Easy, Tony,” he said to himself, “It’s just dinner.” 

But it could always be more than dinner. Tony couldn’t even think of a time he’d ever had “just dinner”, unless he counted all those mind-numbing dinners with Obediah.

“Just dinner with a friend.” 

A very good looking friend. A friend with broad shoulders, high cheekbones, and a voice that could melt iron but yeah - just a friend. As the water cascaded down Tony’s body he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if Stephen was washing him instead. He closed his eyes and imagined Stephen’s hand roaming his body, squeezing his butt and cupping his balls. Stephen’s hands would gently pump Tony’s cock, and Tony moaned imagining touching Stephen too. 

The sorcerer was definitely hiding a fit body under there - no way a man like that didn’t take care of himself. Tony imagined his broad chest, toned abdomen. He wondered if Strange could pick him up? He pictured spreading Stephen’s cheeks in the shower, forcing himself inside. He imagined the sounds Stephen would make as Tony pounded into him. He was probably so tight… 

Tony spilled into his hand. This was going to be an interesting phone call. 

  
  


Partially dressed and scotch in hand, Tony was ready. He was in the living room of Stark Tower, watching flames flicker in the fireplace. It was nearly midnight. 

“Hey F.R.I., call Stephen Strange,” he said. Better late than never. 

“Calling Doctor Strange.”

… 

“Hello?” Stephen sounded groggy. 

“Hey stranger. Didn’t mean to wake you up,” Tony lied. “I just got your voicemail. When are you free for dinner?” 

“Um… let me think,” Stephen said, still waking up. Tony heard ruffling over the speakers. “Uh… what are you doing tomorrow night?”

“I’m having a friend over.” 

“Oh. Well what about Sunday?”

“You’re that friend, Stephen, come over tomorrow.” 

“Alright. Should I bring anything?” 

“Nope, just your sweet little self. I’ll have everything here,” Tony said, sipping his drink. 

“Okay. What time?”

“Seven?”

“Seven sounds good,” then Stephen yawned. “Looks like I’ll see you um - later today, then.” 

“Yeah, see you soon. Sleep tight,” Tony smiled as Stephen disconnected the call. “Hey F.R.I? Remind me to find a caterer first thing in…” he checked his watch, “...whenever I wake up.”

“You got it, boss,” said the A.I. 

Tony couldn’t wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment! I promise really good Ironstrange is to come :)


	5. In the Flesh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just dinner with a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _So ya thought ya might like to go to the show  
>  To feel the warm thrill of confusion, that space cadet glow  
> Tell me is something eluding you, sunshine?  
> Is this not what you expected to see?  
> If you wanna find out what's behind these cold eyes  
> You'll just have to claw your way through this disguise  
> _
> 
> \- Pink Floyd

The caterers showed up two hours after Tony called them. He’d like to think they would have shown up regardless if he paid them a 500% tip, but he would never know. While he was confident in his cooking skills, he didn’t think it’d be worthy of a first date with Doctor Strange.

But what was Tony thinking - this wasn’t a date. This was merely two friends having dinner together, one thanking the other for saving his life. Tony had thought that little place in the East Village that served that pepper pasta would have been nice, but the press would have been god-awful. It was much safer to just cook at home and see where the evening went. 

Tony cleaned, and he showered. He cleaned and then showered again. He debated if he should hop in the shower one more time to take the edge off a little, but decided against it. He had his best assortment of liquor stocked up, as well as any possible grocery item they might need to make an amazing cocktail. He was ready. 

And yet, he wasn’t. The phone call to Pepper explaining that he had to stay in the city for the night was a long one - he blamed it on Peter. 

“He’s in a bad spot, Pep,” he explained over the phone. 

“What does that even mean?” She cried, “He’s a teenager, everything sucks!”

“I know,” Tony said, trying to be consoling, “but he’s a freshman in college. You know how it is, adjusting and everything -”

“Fine, but why does he need  _ you _ ?” She was accusatory. 

“You know why,” Tony shot back. 

“Well I’ll just explain to Morgan her father is favoring Spiderman over her when she asks why you’re not at the planetarium tomorrow,” she said hotly.

“Or not, because she’s  _ six _ and she doesn’t care.” 

“Whatever Tony. Will we see you tomorrow?” 

“I don’t know, it depends on Pe -”

“Oh fuck off.” And Pepper hung up. Perfect. He quickly shot Peter a text, bribing him to not post anything on social media for the night. 

It was almost time. Tony was getting the patio set up with heat lamps. A table for two was set out for them, and the caterers were finishing up in the kitchen. 

“Boss, he’s here,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

“Go ahead.”

Stephen was wearing a white linen shirt, canvas slacks and his signature sandals. Tony thought it rather adorable. When he entered the apartment he handed Tony a green bottle. 

“A gift from the monks,” he explained. “Total secret. No one’s guessed their recipe for thousands of years.” 

“Is it wine?” Tony asked.

“Bitters. More of a digestif than an aperitif, but I won’t hold you to anything,” Stephen said. 

“Great! Well, welcome. I was going to take you out but I didn’t want to hear about it later, sorry,” Tony apologized.

“No apology needed. If I were in the public eye I’d feel the same,” he smiled. Tony walked him over to the bar.

“Can I get you anything? Cocktail? Spirit?”

“What are you having?” Thanks for the burden, Strange. 

“Uh… beer to start, probably. Don’t want to get too crazy.” Tony said, hesitantly opening his beer fridge. 

“I’ll have the same,” Stephen said, taking a look around. “You’ve changed your decor.”

“Barely,” Tony said, popping the caps off of two beers for them, “I just removed anything excessive.”

And by that, he meant anything Pepper had had input on, he had removed. The entirety of the Stark Tower apartment was now solely what Tony picked out. It felt nice. He handed Stephen the bottle of beer. 

“Cheers,” Tony held up his bottle, “Thank you for coming over.”

“Thank you for having me over.” 

They looked at each other for a moment. 

“Wanna go out on the patio?” Tony offered.

“Sure.” 

As they stepped outside, Stephen remarked, “Wow. This view is breathtaking.” 

_ You’re breathtaking _ , Tony thought. He really needed to calm down. “Yeah, it’s alright… I gotta ask, Doc, what was the threat?”

“A former colleague of mine resurfaced. He actually trained me at Kamar-Taj, but he showed up at the Sanctum that night looking for me,” Stephen took a sip of his beer, “We fought and he escaped. I followed him across the globe. He was doing awful things to other sorcerers… and Mordo isn’t a bad man, he was just horribly misguided.”

“What happened to him?”

“I did what I thought was best. He was taking magic away from anyone who had it - so I did that for him. I suppressed his memories and took his magic.”

“Where is he now?”

“I left him in the hands of the masters at Kamar-Taj. They will decide his future.” Stephen glanced down at his feet, “He’ll need to be monitored, wherever his new life begins.” 

Stephen was spared, then, by the arrival of the first course. Tony and Stephen took their seats, and the wine was poured. Their conversation turned to science, discussing their favorite current events. Tony was heavily interested in a scientist studying biomimicry out of Brazil, and Stephen was following new research in stem cell neuropathy. Tony let Stephen know the trials were going well; he had only burned himself twice. Feeling nostalgic, Stephen shared stories with Tony about his surgeon days. 

Tony was intrigued hearing about Stephen’s past life - they seemed to both have had a taste for lavish parties, excessive drugs, and beautiful women. They both struggled maintaining the relationships in their lives. Stephen never made it work with Christine and it took Tony over ten years to finally get with Pepper. Now into their second bottle of wine, Tony found himself confiding in Stephen once again.

“You’re in charge of your own destiny, Tony. You don’t have to make the same mistakes your father made,” Stephen said, topping off Tony’s glass. 

“Am I in charge of my own destiny? Seems like you have a pretty big hand in these things.”

Stephen hesitated. “I merely witnessed the options, you still executed your own decisions.”

“So I mean… can you do it again? Can you see the possible futures for me and Pep?” 

“Tony you have to know I won’t do that.”

“Why not? It’s like exactly the same thing,” Tony argued. 

“The future of the entire universe isn’t dependent on your relationship with Pepper. I’m not going to look. It’s a privilege to use the time stone; I hate that you would even ask.”

Tony looked defeated. Stephen reached across the table to place his hand over Tony’s.

“You will make the right decision,” Stephen said, “You always do. I’ve seen you do it millions of times.” 

  
  


Dinner dissolved into drinks. They migrated inside, lingering around the bar while they continued to tell each other stories. Tony told Stephen about adventures with the Avengers, and Stephen told Tony about his training at Kamar-Taj and his fight with Dormammu. Tony was in awe of the resilience of the sorcerer - Stephen was positively brilliant. His accomplishments in neurosurgery were impressive enough, but adding the incredible amount of skills he learned at Kamar-Taj, Stephen was a goddamn powerhouse. 

“Hey. do you want a shot?” Tony held up a bottle of Patron, eyebrow anchored. 

“Ugh, I can’t even remember the last time I had a shot of tequila,” Stephen groaned.

“That’s the whole point, isn’t it? Do one with me,” Tony said, pouring two shots already.

“Fine. But we’re going to do it properly. Do you have limes?”

“What kind of bar do you think I run? Of course I have limes. Jesus.”

Unfortunately, one shot became two shots, and before Stephen and Tony knew it the bottle was empty. 

“I don’t think I could make a portal right now if I tried,” Stephen confessed. He was lying spread eagle on Tony’s living area carpet, clasping an empty glass. Tony was sitting on the floor nearby, leaning against a couch. 

“Don’t portal and drive, wizard.”

“I think you mean don’t portal and… drink. No, don’t drink and portal.” Stephen giggled. 

“Hey wiz, did you know you get an English accent when you’re wasted?”

“Do I?” Stephen sat up on his elbows, “must be that whore of an English mother I have.”

“Ah, sorry I asked.” 

“No it’s alright, I never see her. Could be dead for all I know,” he said wistfully. 

“It’s really hot.” 

“Well take your clothes off then.”

“No, I mean your accent,” Tony stared at Stephen, watching his normally stoic face go through an array of emotions. “I think your English accent is really hot. And… you want me to take my clothes off?” 

Stephen sits up and crawls over to sit next him. Tony tries not to let his brain overload with the fact that he can feel the heat from Stephen’s clothed leg next to his. He can smell Stephen’s breath, rank with alcohol, and he can see the slight tremor in Stephen’s hands. Tony is completely unprepared for when Stephen leans in and whispers in his ear.

“Do you want to take your clothes off, Mr. Stark?” Stephen’s voice a low rumble. He brushed Tony’s chin with his finger. Tony felt all of the blood drain from his extremities and go directly to his dick. 

“Yes,” he whispered, and Stephen kissed him. Tony reciprocated in full, his tongue exploring Stephen’s mouth and their teeth clashing in their eagerness. Stephen straddled him and worked to remove Tony’s t-shirt. His eyes studied Tony’s heaving chest, briefly falling on the arc reactor. He traced his fingers along it, only to be interrupted by Tony trying to yank his shirt off. Stephen’s shirt didn’t have as much give and Tony ripped the shirt up to the armpit. Stephen laughed. 

“Jesus what’s this thing made of?” Tony said, pulling at the fabric hopelessly. 

“Blood, sweat, and tears from the children of Kathmandu,” Stephen smiled, and removed the remnants of the shirt. “Way to go, Tony.” 

A retort died in Tony’s mouth as he took in the sight before him. Stephen was more muscular than Tony had imagined - his figure as lean and efficient as his mind. His hands began to roam Stephen’s body and Stephen surprised him by kissing and biting his neck. Tony whimpered. He reached behind Stephen and began tugging at his pants, gently working them down in an effort to not repeat the debacle with the shirt. Instead, Stephen rolled off Tony and shucked off his pants. He held his hand out to Tony and helped him onto the couch. Kneeling on the floor, Stephen unbuttoned Tony’s pants and relieved him of those and his boxer briefs. He finally had his prize. 

Stephen looked up at Tony, his eyes glazed over with lust. He took Tony’s pulsing member in his hand and slowly pumped it. If Tony wasn’t three sheets to the wind he probably would have come already. He massaged Stephen’s neck and shoulders, watching intently as the sorcerer playfully touched his cock. Stephen’s lips ghosted over Tony’s skin and Tony almost lifted off of the couch when he felt Stephen’s tongue along the length of his dick. He closed his eyes when he felt Stephen take him completely in his mouth, his tongue flicking the frenulum. 

“I thought I was supposed to be thanking you??” Tony gasped. Stephen hummed in response. The vibration caused Tony to squirm, his hands tangled in Stephen’s hair. He was lost in the feeling of Stephen’s mouth on his cock; it was everything he had imagined. He looked down at those beautiful lips encasing his member with suction and saliva. “I want to touch you.”

He pulled Stephen (reluctantly) up for a sloppy kiss. The two swapped places and Tony finally had a chance to admire Stephen’s package. It wasn’t as thick as Tony’s, but good Lord was it long. As Stephen sat on the couch, his dick strained towards his belly-button. Tony gently took Stephen in his hand and kissed him from the base to the tip. Stephen moaned, his eyes closed. Tony studied his long neck - definitely an area to attack later. 

Tony lapped up the precum and took Stephen wholly in his mouth. It certainly had been awhile since he had sucked another man’s dick. Tony was overwhelmed with the heady aroma of Stephen’s arousal. He breathed in deeply, relaxing his throat to take in more. He almost gagged when Stephen’s head hit the back of his throat, but the higher pitch of Stephen’s moans encouraged him further. He hollowed his cheeks, humming as Stephen reacted. 

“Tony,” he panted, “I don’t think I can last much longer.”

“Come in my mouth, baby,” Tony said, pumping Stephen and running the width of his tongue up Stephen’s length before taking him in his mouth again. Stephen groaned, and Tony picked up the pace, alternating pumps with his hand. He caressed Stephen’s balls, watching as the sorcerer stiffened - a slight  _ “Oh” _ escaping his lips. Tony quickly swallowed as much as he could, relishing in the feel of spurts of liquid hitting the back of his throat. He cleaned Stephen the best he could, then joined him on the couch for a salty kiss. 

Tony had to come and he had to come soon. He didn’t exactly remember how they got into his bedroom, but when he woke up out of his drunken stupor he was  _ in _ Stephen. The sorcerer was writhing beneath him, head thrown back against Tony’s silk pillows. Tony was pushing into the moaning man - his stomach brushing up against Stephen’s lanky cock at every thrust. 

His dreams had come true. Stephen had his legs wrapped around Tony’s waist and he was meeting him for every thrust. Tony, feeling a cramp coming on, readjusted - only to hit that certain spot that made Stephen howl. His back arched off the bed, and Tony grabbed his hips to take charge. He slowed down momentarily, pulling almost out of the way out to watch his cock slide slowly back into Stephen. 

Enjoying the new pace, Stephen wrapped his hand around his own cock, pumping in the same time as Tony’s thrusts. Was there anything hotter than watching a man handle himself? Tony tried to watch, to see what Stephen liked. He noticed Stephen’s hand barely gripped, it was more of a suggestion. Tony doubled down, making every thrust deep and purposeful, earning more moans from Stephen. 

“You feel so good,” Stephen said, in between breaths.

“You feel fucking amazing,” Tony said. “Did you keep this ass tight for me?” 

“Yess,” Stephen moaned, bucking into his own hand. 

“I’m going to come in you babe, can you come for me again?” Tony kissed Stephen’s forehead, and the wizard nodded. Tony sat on his haunches and began fucking Stephen with vigor, holding his legs near his shoulders. The new angle fueled the both of them, and Tony’s rhythm faltered as he approached his orgasm. A stream of expletives left his mouth and Stephen clenched around Tony’s cock. Stephen moaned as his come splashed his stomach, and Tony held on for dear life as his vision swam. He came, almost painfully, the basest of instincts taking over as he rutted into Stephen. Their orgasms finished, Tony collapsed onto his lover and fell asleep. 


	6. Bad Moon Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can't have your cake and eat it, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _  
> I see the bad moon a-rising  
>  I see trouble on the way  
>   
> Hope you got your things together  
> Hope you are quite prepared to die  
> Looks like we're in for nasty weather  
> One eye is taken for an eye  
> _
> 
> \- Creedence Clearwater Revival

It was morning. Probably. Tony woke up laying on his back, his body covered by the sprawling figure of a sleeping Doctor Strange. Stephen’s head was nuzzled underneath Tony’s chin, their legs intertwined underneath the duvet. His head was pounding. Careful not to wake Stephen, he extracted himself from the bed and stumbled to the bathroom. He needed water, and Tylenol. 

After he relieved himself, he went back to bed with two glasses of water and the bottle of pills under his arm. Stephen was curled up on his side and Tony snuggled up behind him, slipping an arm around to hold him closer. Tony quickly fell asleep again, enjoying the warmth of the other man’s body. 

Tony woke again, this time to the feeling of Stephen wiggling his butt in Tony’s crotch. Tony growled and grinded into him, his hand traveling up to explore Stephen’s chest. He kissed Stephen’s neck, sucking gently on a spot beneath his ear. 

“Good morning,” Stephen said, his voice sleepy and deep.

“Morning sunshine,” Tony rubbed his lover’s shoulder, “How’s your head?”

“Um, I think death by Dormammu would have been more merciful,” he grimaced, covering his eyes. 

“Luckily I think I know a cure,” Tony responded, reaching back to his bedside table. He handed Stephen a pill. “Take this,” he passed him the water, “and this. Now let me take care of you.” 

Stephen happily obliged, swallowing the pill with a sip of water and lying back down exactly where he was. Tony was massaging his back, his movements appreciative and slow. He heard the sound of Tony uncapping the lube, and felt fingers gently probing his sensitive hole. Tony slowly eased a third finger, and then a fourth. Stephen was moaning, his hand rubbing up and down Tony’s leg. 

When he was ready, Tony lined his cock up to Stephen’s entrance. He kissed Stephen’s neck as he pushed in slowly, letting him adjust. Now fully seated, he began to play with Stephen’s cock - already leaking with precum. 

“I loved everything about last night,” Tony whispered, maintaining his agonizingly slow pace. “I just want to fuck you all day.” 

“I have zero objections to that,” Stephen managed. He moaned as Tony pulled out and rubbed the head of his cock against Stephen’s hole. Tony pushed in again, guiding Stephen’s leg closer to his chest. The new pressure on Tony’s member gave him pause, and he groaned as he pushed into the tighter space. 

“Fucking hell you look so good like this. My cock was made for this ass,” Tony playfully spanked him, enjoying the mark it left on Stephen’s cheek. He grabbed Stephen’s hips to get even deeper. Stephen took hold of his own cock and began stroking himself. Tony spanked him again, enjoying the feel of Stephen clenching on his length. He started moving faster, earning hoarse moans from the sorcerer.

“Right there, oh my gOD right there,” Stephen pleaded, pushing back on Tony’s every thrust. Tony sped up, spanking him again, and Stephen came with a shout. Tony fucked him through his orgasm, then rolled Stephen onto his stomach and pulled his hips up. He didn’t wait for Stephen to recover before he entered him again. Tony looked down, admiring the view. His hands were locked on Stephen’s narrow hips, his eyes glued on his cock disappearing between Stephen’s reddened cheeks. Stephen’s muscular back was glistening with sweat, his face buried in a pillow to stifle his moans. Tony could feel his orgasm approaching and he thrust as hard as he could, sending his seed deep within Stephen. 

It was hard to breathe. Tony removed himself slowly, watching his semen slowly leak out of the puckered hole. He sat back on his haunches, admiring Stephen’s lean figure. This was definitely one for the books. 

“How’s your head now?” Tony asked, running his hand along Stephen’s backside. 

“Can you check? I don’t think I have one,” Stephen cheekily replied. Tony crawled up the bed and leant down to capture Stephen’s lips with a slow kiss. 

“I’m going to shower,” Tony said, his brown eyes studying Stephen’s blissful face. “Your attendance isn’t mandatory, but it is extremely welcome.” 

It took approximately ten seconds for Stephen to follow Tony to the bathroom. Tony was already in the rainfall shower, washing off evidence of their busy morning. Stephen quickly relieved himself and stepped in to join him. Tony began to wash him, smirking at the amount of semen on his stomach. He took his time running his soapy hands over every crevice, taking any opportunity to claim Stephen’s mouth in a kiss. Tony could feel his cock fill with blood again.

Stephen began to massage soap into Tony’s skin. He turned Tony around to get his back more thoroughly, and he rubbed his semi-hard length between Tony’s cheeks. He sucked on Tony’s neck, his hands roaming Tony’s firm chest, soapy fingers tangling in his chest hair. His fingers moved south, trailing Tony’s Adonis belt, gently brushing Tony’s cock. Stephen continued his slow assault, causing Tony to groan in frustration. Stephen turned him around, and got to his knees. Tony jerked his own cock, letting the head brush Stephen’s lips. 

Tony moaned as Stephen slowly took him in his mouth, the hot water dripping down Tony’s cock. Stephen took his sweet time, letting his tongue roll over every inch of Tony’s dick, gradually relaxing his throat to take Tony’s entire length. Tony gripped the shower wall, trying not to buck into the mouth that was giving him so much pleasure. Stephen’s plump lips fit perfectly around Tony, and Tony tried not to scream when Stephen started deep throating him.

Stephen was relentless. The veins in his face threatened to burst. Tony only caught a glance of Stephen’s strained penis, engorged and bouncing with the force of his movements. Stephen’s hands gripped Tony’s cheeks and Tony yelped when one of Stephen’s fingers began to play with his hole.. 

“Oh fuck, I’m gonna -” and Tony ejaculated just as Stephen had released him from his mouth, causing his spunk to land on Stephen’s face. Stephen wiped a gob out of his eyelashes and looked up at Tony, laughing. 

  
  


Stephen left shortly after, accepting a piece of toast from Tony for the road. He had matters he had to attend to at the Sanctum, and Tony had his own matters to deal with. Apart from his trashed apartment, Tony had to figure out what to do about Pepper. 

The high from the thrill of the chase was fairly short lived compared to the immediate dread Tony felt after Stephen’s departure. His mind spiraled as he cleaned, each corner of his apartment reminding him of Stephen. All of the dishes on the patio had been blown to hell overnight, and his living room looked like the aftermath of a frat party. Empty bottles littered the ground, his clothing strewn across the furniture. His bedroom sheets probably could have walked themselves to the laundromat. 

He was torn. He didn’t know what this was. After how intense it was in the morning, he didn’t dare ask. There was clearly some pent up tension they had never addressed, and Tony was quite surprised at his own ability to bounce back. Stephen had barely been gone for two hours and Tony was already itching to crawl back in bed with him. Tony decided to stay the night in Stark Tower, and sleep away the dreadful hangover. 

Tony was eating dinner with Pepper. Morgan had scarpered off after she finished her plate of chicken nuggets, and was playing in the living room. 

“How’s Peter?” Pepper asked, taking a sip of her wine. 

“Uh, he’s… better,” Tony said. Pepper stared at him, chewing her food quietly. “Yeah I think he’s really coming into his own, just gotta let kids be kids, you know…” 

“Are you going to tell me what’s really going on, or are you going to keep jerking me around?”

“What?” Tony raised his eyebrows, probably too much. “Nothing is going on, it’s exactly what I said -”  _ Bzzt _ . Tony felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. 

“Uh huh,” he heard Pepper say, as he stole a glance at the incoming text. 

STRANGE:  **Do you need help with your trials?**

Tony quickly texted back. 

STARK:  **You don’t need to make excuses to see me.**

He could hear Pepper complaining in the background. He made sure to nod and agree when he could. 

STRANGE:  **Not an excuse, genuinely curious.**

STARK:  **Now that you mention it I could use some help fitting it to my** **shoulder properly**

He could hear Pepper’s voice escalating.

“I don’t know how I’m ever supposed to talk to you, Tony, your nose is always buried in something and I swear you don’t hear a thing I say!” Pepper whined. Tony placed his phone on the table. 

“I’m sorry honey, look - I haven’t been completely honest with you,” he took a breath. She looked like she could kill him. “I haven’t been helping Peter this whole time.”

“Tony…” she warned.

“I’ve been working on a new project for the expo,” Tony said, slowly daring to look his wife in the eyes. His phone buzzed again. 

STRANGE: **Tonight?**

“Well that’s great Tony, you haven’t commandeered a project for that in awhile. I wish you would have told me though, you had me worried,” Pepper got up to clear their plates. 

“Yeah, it’s really time-consuming I’m sorry.”

STARK:  **Two hours**

“Listen, honey, I left something running in the lab, I have to head back there for the night.”

“You just got here!” she exclaimed. She barely got any more words in before Tony kissed her and Morgan on the cheek, and promptly left the house. 

As Tony was speeding down the highway, he couldn’t help but ponder his own insanity. He didn’t have to see Stephen tonight, or any night for that matter. Something about the man drove him crazy. 

Maybe all midlife crises were like this. Tony already had the luxury vehicles, the yacht, the private jet or two. Maybe he just really needed to fuck a handsome man; get it out of his system. It was probably just a fling. Tony gripped the steering wheel, his pants were already getting too tight. Yep, just a fling. 

Stephen might have had good ideas, but Tony wasn’t listening. It was hard to focus since Tony was sitting on a table, shirtless, while Stephen puttered around looking for tools he needed. He was in the zone, rattling off his thoughts while Tony sat there, trying not to choke on his own spit. Stephen had waltzed into his lab like it was old times - or rather the times before Tony had fucked him silly. 

“Hey Doc,” Tony said quietly, the sorcerer still blathering on, “Hey DOC.”

“Sorry, am I boring you?” Stephen stopped. 

“No, no it’s great. I’m just feeling some pain.”

“Where? Is it because of the skin? I made some adjustments but it was supposed to increase your comfort,” Stephen said, looking concerned. He walked over to Tony and immediately began to fiddle with the prototype on Tony’s shoulder. 

“No, it’s a little more south,” Tony said, his eyes looking down at his own tented crotch. 

“I see,” Stephen’s voice lowered, and he moved to stand directly in front of Tony. He leaned in to kiss Tony’s neck and whispered, “will you let the doctor have a look?”

“Yes please,” Tony could barely breathe as Stephen continued to kiss his neck. He was relieved when Stephen released his rigid cock from the confines of his jeans. Stephen trapped him in a searing kiss and Tony couldn’t help but moan into the taller man’s mouth as he began to stroke Tony’s length. 

“So hard already,” Stephen noted, then continued his assault on Tony’s neck. He kissed his way down Tony’s heaving chest, his tongue leaving a slippery trail as he went. Tony’s fingers tangled in his salt and pepper hair as he took Tony in his capable mouth. Tony was in heaven. Or he would have been, if he wasn’t interrupted by a frantic call from F.R.I.D.A.Y.

“Boss, I’m sorry, I tried to get him to stop, but -” and Tony pushed Stephen off just in time to hear Peter Parker running down the stairs. Tony scrambled to shove himself back in his jeans. His back was to the door as Peter burst into the lab. 

“Oh hi, Mr. Stark! Didn’t think you would be here! Just stopped by to grab my -” Peter stopped mid-sentence, as his eyes landed on Stephen, slowly getting up from behind the table. “Uh, whoa. Sorry, I uh.. hi, Dr. Strange.” 

“Kid, what did I say about your key??” Tony huffed, quickly buttoning his pants. 

“‘ _ Only use it in case of emergencies, otherwise ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to let me in’ _ ,” Peter recited. “But why -”

“None of your business,” Tony spat. “And it wasn’t ‘otherwise’ it is  _ always _ . Always have F.R.I.D.A.Y. let you in.”

Peter looked crestfallen. 

“We were just working on a project for Mr. Stark’s rehabilitation,” Stephen offered. “You said you came here to get your…?”

“Right, I left my  _ First Class  _ dvd here. Sorry, Mr. Stark,” Peter apologized again, stepping cautiously around the two men. “It’s uh… in the corner there, I’ll just grab it and get out of your hair. Hairs.” 

Peter grabbed the dvd, and Tony rolled his eyes as Stephen volunteered to show Peter what they were working on. Peter was thrilled, but Tony cut them off.

“Ok, ok - you’ve seen enough. Time to skedaddle. Shouldn’t you be in bed? Isn’t it a school night?” Tony said, snapping his prototype out of Peter’s hands. 

“My first class isn’t until 10!” Peter said defiantly. “Ned really wanted to see this movie tonight.”

“Well don’t let us keep you.”

“Sorry, again, Mr. Stark. It was good to see you, Dr. Strange!” Peter chirped, and left the lab. 

  
  


Stephen stayed the night again. Tony wondered how many surfaces in the apartment they could fuck on but after a couple of drinks, Stephen dragged the excited engineer to bed and had his way with him. When Stephen woke, he found the bed empty. He shuffled to the bathroom but not before hearing Tony’s voice in the hallway. He must have been on the phone, as Stephen only heard half the conversation - 

“...going good, yeah, got a lot of work done last night,” Stephen could hear Tony saying. “I think it’ll be a really good addition to the lineup. Are you headed to DC today? I’m sorry I couldn’t see you off. Love you too.”

Stephen winced. 

“I’ll be home around noon, just have to finish up some things here,” Tony continued. “Yeah, nothing important, just business. Ok. Have a safe flight. Love you honeybear. Bye.” 

  
  


When Tony walked back into the bedroom with two cups of coffee, Stephen was gone. 


	7. The Wizard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Evil power disappears  
>  Demons worry when the wizard is near  
> He turns tears into joy_
> 
> _Everyone's happy when the wizard walks by  
>  Never talking  
> Just keeps walking  
> Spreading his magic_
> 
> _Sun is shining, clouds have gone by  
>  All the people give a happy sigh  
> He has passed by, giving his sign_  
>  __
> 
> \- Black Sabbath

47 missed calls, 88 unresponded-to texts, and one week later, Stephen called Tony Stark. 

“Hey. What the hell,” Tony said into his earpiece. 

“I’m sorry. I had to go,” It wasn’t much of an excuse, but it was all Stephen had. 

“Coulda made you breakfast.”

“I’m sorry.” 

“Will I see you anytime soon?”

“I don’t know, Tony.” 

“Alright. Bye.” 

“Tony pl-” But Tony had already hung up.

Stephen replayed the series of events over in his mind. He hadn’t left Tony’s place because of any lingering duties at the Sanctum, he left because his heart broke when he heard Tony speaking to his wife. Tony and Pepper were a power couple - they had years of history and had built an empire. With everything Tony had ever done, Pepper was right by his side. 

He had spent the last week moping. As soon as he returned home that morning, he took a long, hot bath. He knew what he was getting into from the beginning; it was embarrassing that it hurt all the same. In all of those millions of timelines that Stephen saw, Tony almost never chose him. They might have had a few couplings at the compound, or even rarer at the Kamar-Taj, but Tony almost always went back. 

He thought it odd they should be star-crossed lovers in this absurd timeline. He wanted to drown in this bathtub. Tony had to make a choice eventually, and Stephen didn’t want to stick around to get his heart broken all over again. 

With this in mind, Stephen dedicated the next few weeks to the Kamar-Taj. There were new recruits waiting to be trained; Wong split up the training between Stephen and a few other masters in the hopes the newbies would be battle-ready in a few short months. It was a welcome distraction. 

Wong was the first to notice the sorcerer was distressed. After a long day of training, he found Stephen in the library, hiding behind a mountain of dusty books. 

“What troubles you these days, Doctor Strange?” he asked, carefully reshelving an antique volume. 

“Nothing,” Stephen said. Wong was unconvinced. 

“Matters of the heart?” 

“Out with it,” Stephen snapped, looking up. “If you know something, do share with the class.” 

“I know only what I observe,” Wong said patiently, “and what I observe is the suffering of a dear friend. You are tired, and your teaching is affected.” 

“ _My_ teaching?” Stephen balked, “I’m not the one sending them through portals to quick sand!”

“Only the strong return,” Wong shrugged. 

“You’re insane, you know that, right?” Stephen cracked a smile, watching Wong who was so clearly proud of himself. 

“I may be insane but _you_ are distracted, and in the face of battle, we both know which is better to be,” he said, reshelving the last of the books in his arms. “If you should like to talk about it, I’m here.”

Stephen twiddled with the pen in his hand. “I may be seeing someone.” 

“And?”

“They might be married.” 

Wong took a breath.

“‘ _If you try to change it, you will ruin it. Try to hold it, and you will lose it_ ’,” Wong said. “ _Be still and allow the mud to settle_ ’.” 

“Thank you, Wong. You’re a true companion,” Stephen said after a moment. 

“You’re welcome. If you don’t put back that entire pile, I will kill you in your sleep,” and he shuffled off to his study. 

  
  


Later that night, Stephen sat in the calm of his room in Kamar-Taj. He so badly needed to meditate and he was thrilled to finally have some time to himself. He willed himself to relax; rolling his neck to alleviate the tension in his shoulders. He focused on his breathing pattern. The stress from the day quieted in his brain, but memories of Tony quickly permeated his thoughts. 

_“Tony, we have to move you. I know you’re in a lot of pain but we need to get moving,” Stephen urged Tony to a sitting position._

_“What the hell?” Tony choked out, his throat feeling like it was on fire._

_“You died to save everyone. Now let me help you.”_

They had to take him to the Sanctum first, to see if Stephen could revive him and stop the radiation from causing further damage. It hadn’t been easy, he wasn’t even sure if he could do it. Stephen considered it sheer luck that Christine was on shift at Metro General. When they arrived, she was amazing - Christine didn’t ask any extraneous questions, though Stephen did notice she had a moment of being starstruck when she realized she was operating on the great Tony Stark. 

He had a choice to make. The Ancient One had made it abundantly clear - he could not use magic and have the ability to use his hands at the same time. Christine was in desperate need of an assist. All of the surgeons on the emergency floor were otherwise occupied. Stephen scrubbed in. Christine was amazed as ever that Stephen was able to use his hands, but didn’t say a word. 

Twelve hours in surgery would have done Stephen’s hands in before the accident. Feeling the magic receding, he quickly scrubbed out and thanked Christine with a kiss on the forehead. 

“I have to go,” he said, every tendon in his hands constricting painfully. 

“I know.” 

She watched him disappear in a ring of orange sparks. 

The weeks that followed had to be the most pain Stephen had endured. He hadn’t known the extent of the consequences, as he hadn’t ever considered turning back to surgery. He tried to soak his hands in warm water, and laughed at the ineffectiveness of that and epsom salt. The pain seemed to grow exponentially as the days went by, and Stephen heavily considered chopping his own hands off (or making the cloak do it) when magically, on the twenty-first day, the pain disappeared. He swore by the Vishanti he would never fuck with that ever again, no matter who was on the table. 

Who was he kidding? He would die for Tony Stark any day. He had seen Tony sacrifice himself millions of times, sometimes a bit prematurely. The man had a penchant for death and Stephen was extremely relieved when he received word that Tony had awoken from his surgery. He wondered if he should visit, but chickened out when he checked on the astral plane one day and saw Pepper sleeping at his bedside. If he and Tony were meant to be, Tony would seek him out. 

It was the most pacifist reasoning Stephen could bear to consider. Falling in love with Tony Stark was easy - he was extremely good-looking, intellectual, confident, cocky, and flirty. One look from those big brown eyes had Stephen melting. The media had always pegged the billionaire as an eccentric bisexual, and Stephen had been dying to figure out if that was true. 

Stephen’s heart nearly exploded the day he spotted Tony jogging in the park. The blue tint from the arc reactor was unmistakable. He played it cool, though, and hoped his demeanor had passed as pleasant indifference. When Tony asked for his help, Stephen downplayed his eagerness like he hadn’t been thinking about the damn man every day for the last several months. 

In Tony’s lab, Stephen was grateful he _could_ actually help Stark. It would be remiss for him to say he occasionally didn’t lead Tony down the wrong path so he could extend their research period. He ignored Tony’s long gazes, pretending to heavily concentrate on the work laid out before him. In his past life, Stephen would have been more domineering - if he had his way, he would have taken Tony in the lab that very first day. 

But this wasn’t just Stephen’s life - if he truly wanted a future with Tony, he would have to wait for when he was ready, if ever. Tony’s life was much more complicated than Stephen’s. Over the years, Stephen had managed to lose every single familial connection he had. His father and sister were long dead, his mother estranged. Any friends he had disappeared after the accident, save for Christine. And Stephen certainly hadn’t maintained that relationship. He had hurt her far too many times, and this new life at the Sanctum was too confusing. 

He never corrected her when she assumed it was a cult. She would never understand, and that very skepticism used to be very appealing. Now, Stephen considered it a bit condescending and distanced himself from her. He would always think of her fondly, but their time had come and gone and he was ready for something new. Stephen was ready for an all encompassing love, free from judgment and full of understanding. He knew Tony was capable of that, just witnessing the sacrifices he made over and over. Could Stephen ever hope to do the same? 

Sacrifice is easy when you have nothing to lose. Tony had everything to lose, and he threw himself in the fire every single time. The scope and complexity of Tony’s character never ceased to amaze him, and as they got closer, Stephen found it extremely difficult to keep his feelings to himself. 

As it turned out, Tony had just about the same coping skills as Stephen. The night of the dinner, Stephen found himself opening up more and more as the alcohol consumption increased. He learned new things about Tony, and their conversation expanded beyond their social ties. He wondered that night if Tony and Captain Rogers had had a past, as Tony told their story with such intensity. Tony loved fiercely. Stephen could see he could be quite spiteful and made it a point to never try to be on his bad side. 

But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Stephen indulged himself in Tony’s body. It wasn’t fair, but he was ravenous. For years, he had deprived himself of this mortal pleasure, and he couldn’t help himself when Tony offered his body so freely. Tony was a generous lover, and never left Stephen wanting. Each interaction pulled them closer, tangling their heart strings and Stephen still didn’t know what Tony wanted. 

Was it worth the conversation? Should Stephen just cut his losses? He got what he wanted, physically. But he knew Tony was still so wrapped up in his homelife (as he should be, for fuck’s sake), was there any room for Stephen? It was selfish, maybe. He was only human.

For the rest of his time at the Kamar-Taj, Stephen pushed these feelings down. Anything that was going to happen would be an act of fate. He was done playing god with Tony’s life. The best course of action for him was to continue as if nothing had happened, and put all of his energy into training the next round of recruits. 

It would have been easier, of course, if he didn’t receive an e-mail from Bruce Banner. He and Miss Romanoff were throwing a New Year’s Eve party as their housewarming. All friends of the Avengers were invited, and Stephen was shocked that he was considered to be in their social circle. He might have denied the invitation if Bruce hadn’t included pictures. They had purchased what looked like a goddamn resort on an island and begged Stephen to stay for the weekend. The way Bruce had worded the e-mail left no room for refusal. 

Looked like Stephen was headed to Bora Bora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What could possibly go wrong when you're stuck on an island with your lover, his wife, and all of the Avengers?


	8. The Other Side of Paradise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finally sees Stephen. Thor challenges Tony to a drinking game. Tony comes up with a new nickname.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _  
> Bye bye baby blue  
>  I wish you could see the wicked truth  
> Caught up in a rush it's killing you  
> _
> 
> \- Glass Animals

Tony and Pepper were the first to arrive. The skies above French Polynesia were perfectly clear, mirroring blue into the crystalline waters below. They had a squabble on the way over, as married couples often do, but maintained perfect images of composure as they walked up to the gate. The house (or complex?) was immaculate, quaintly simple amidst the palm trees and sandy ground. 

After the initial greetings and congratulations, Natasha showed them to their room. 

“You’re in between Dr. Strange and Carol,” she explained. It seemed they had enough rooms to house half of Wakanda. Tony managed a smile as they got settled in, and went to go find alcohol as soon as he could. 

Bruce was at the bar slinging drinks as more people arrived. Tony eased his nerves with a glass of scotch and tried not let his anxiety bubble over into another attack. It had been a couple of months since he had heard from Stephen, and he was particularly bitter about that phone call. He had anticipated Stephen would take off occasionally, given the nature of his duties. But the thing that irked Tony the most was that he had made an honest effort to get in contact with him, and Stephen had totally blown him off. 

It was positively mind boggling. Tony tried not to care so much but he found himself so angry he was taking it out on Pepper and Morgan. It had been a rough couple of months, especially around the holidays. Tony was forced to put up with his in-laws for two whole weeks, so when this invitation came along, he was more than happy to jump ship. 

What he hadn’t foreseen was the proximity of the man who caused him so much stress. Why the fuck had Nat even invited him? Was this not a gathering for close friends only? Maybe it was Banner’s fault. Bruce always had a soft spot for the intellectuals. 

The worst part was he didn’t have anyone to talk to about this. It would ruin his life, probably, if anyone ever found out. Everyone knew Tony was a prick, but he was a loveable prick and he saved all of their asses more than once. Nat was saying for years that he should just bite the bullet and marry Pepper, she was the only one who had his back. 

If it wasn’t for that sneaky little snot not accepting his offer to join the Avengers, Tony wondered if he ever would have popped the question. He’d had that ring for years, but it wasn’t necessarily always high on his priority list. He was saddened to think how much of an afterthought Pepper really was to him. His thoughts were interrupted by the thunderous arrival of Thor, who made a small crater in the beach in front of the house. Guests swarmed out to greet him, but Tony stayed by the bar. 

“Kamikaze?” Bruce offered, holding a shot up to him.

“Why is it blue?” Tony made a face, cautiously taking the tiny drink.

“Because it’s simple and delicious. Blue curacao, vodka, and lime juice. I’ll take a shot if you do,” Bruce winked. He knew Tony didn’t like to turn down challenges. 

“Fine,” he conceded, and threw it back. It was sweeter than Tony had anticipated. He had to laugh when he watched Bruce take the shot too. Tony hadn’t taken a shot since… oh right. That night with Stephen. It used to be a lot longer between intervals.

“What does she even see in me?” Bruce wondered aloud, a grin plastered to his face. He was looking over at Natasha, who was socializing with Wanda and Okoye. She was laughing, and Tony had to admit she did look pretty fantastic today. 

“I don’t know, you sure she doesn’t have a thing for the big guy?” Tony smirked. 

“I mean it, Tony, Nat is so great,” Bruce said. Tony held out his empty scotch glass and Bruce obliged. “I just want to have what you and Pepper have, man.”

Tony stared at him. 

“What, I mean it!” Brucer persisted, “You guys are perfect for each other. You complement each other so well, I’m really happy you two finally made it work.” 

Tony managed a constipated smile but he couldn’t think up any words to say besides, “Thanks.”

“BRUCE,” Thor said quite loudly, walking behind the bar to pull him into a bear hug. “Congratulations, this place looks _amazing_! How did you choose this location?”

“It’s uh, where we went on vacation last year,” Bruce said meekly. It was hardly a vacation, they were literally gone for six months. 

“This calls for alcohol! I see you have absinthe, do you have ambergris?” Thor was pawing his way through the shelves, moving every bottle over a centimeter. Tony could see the perfectionist in Bruce slowly dying. 

“Probably not, what’s ambergris?” Bruce asked, slowly resetting every bottle Thor touched. 

“Oh, it’s just the dessicated excretion from a sperm whale,” Thor said casually. 

“What is _with_ you and whale shit?” Tony asked, incredulous. 

“It’s not whale shit, it’s just bile!” 

“Why don’t you make him that blue thing? Tell him it’s whale semen he’ll love it,” and that’s how Tony got Thor into blue kamikazes. 

Tony managed to get five shots deep into a drinking competition with Thor before Pepper cut him off. Frankly, he was having a lot of fun, but Pepper didn’t like it when he started to yell his thoughts, or when he started to tell stories that didn’t have a particular beginning, middle, end, or point. It’s not like he had an Iron Man suit to destroy half the place anymore (maybe Rhodey brought his?) so the most damage Tony could do tonight was to his liver. 

Pepper knew drunk Tony, he had been her constant companion these past couple of months. With the first few drinks, Tony became bubbly and talkative. A couple more and he would suddenly become a great philosopher. After that, he devolved into an extremely sad and lovelorn teenage boy and a few drinks after THAT he became the Hulk’s cousin. It was perfectly predictable; who should walk into the party when Tony became stage four drunk?

Nat had gathered everyone in the dining room for dinner. She gave a toast thanking every one of them for being friends with her and Bruce, and expressed how grateful everyone was able to make it to their housewarming party. Tony was propped up at the other end of the table between Rhodey and Pepper, his head wobbling as he tried to focus on Nat. Pepper had already confiscated his drink, but he managed to steal sips from Rhodey’s beer when he wasn’t looking. 

He hadn’t really been paying attention to any of the conversation around the table, but what he did notice was the flare of orange light flashing over the moonlit beach. Tony was _livid_. The hate he was feeling was only exacerbated by his current blood alcohol content. 

A few minutes later, Stephen Strange slinked into the dining room. Tony was in the middle of telling an animated story (he was pretty sure it was cohesive) when he noticed the tall man lean over to speak to Nat. 

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Stephen said quietly. “I completely lost track of time.”

“No, it’s alright! Thank you for coming,” Nat reached up to give him a hug. He was on his way to greet Bruce, when the inevitable happened.

“HEY LOOK WHO IT IS! IT’S DOCTOR _FUCKFACE_!” Tony shouted. The room quieted.

“You wanna take it down a notch, Tone?” Rhodey muttered, wrapping an arm around Tony’s flailing form. Stephen ignored him, moving to an empty seat next to Bruce. 

“NOW THE PARTY CAN START,” Tony said, loudly still. 

“Jesus Christ, Tony…” Pepper sighed. Stephen was trying to engage Bruce and Natasha in a quiet conversation. 

“HOW’S THE KAMA-TA-TA?” Tony slurred, “DID THEY FIRE YOU YET FOR HAVING SHITTY HANDS?”

If looks could kill, Stephen absolutely would have murdered Tony on the spot. Pepper looked miserable; Rhodey sat back amused. 

“It’s good to see you, Mr. Stark,” he said sternly. “Is there something you would like to address?” 

“YEAH, WHY THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE ONE OUTFIT?” 

“Okay, okay. Tony, it’s time for bed. Sorry, Dr. Strange, sorry everyone. C’mon, Rhodey, please,” Pepper stood up, and prompted Rhodey to do the same. They helped Tony to his feet, still shouting obscenities in the direction of a certain sorcerer, and dragged him down the hallway to the bedrooms. 

“I’ll check in on you later, okay?” Pepper said, gently patting Tony’s head. 

“No, don’t,” came the muffled reply. 

“Too bad. Go to sleep, drunkypants,” They had managed to shed him of most of his clothing and roughly hauled him into bed. He was lying on his stomach, head underneath the pillow when Pepper walked to the door. 

“Love you,” he called in a sing-song voice.

“Shut up, Tony,” she said, and clicked off the light. 

Hours later, Tony was woken up by the sounds of fireworks and distant cheering. His head was pounding. As he reached over to the bedside table for a sip of water, he noticed a dark figure looming in the doorway leading to the balcony. 

“Something I can help you with, Doc?” Tony rolled into his back. 

“Care to explain your little show tonight?” Stephen stepped into the room, his back illuminated by the moonlight. He sat in a loveseat in the corner. 

“Did it ever occur to you that not everything I do is theatrical and maybe I just fucking hate you?” 

Stephen sighed.

“Why did you come in here anyway? This is my room. Get out.” 

“I’m not leaving until we talk,” Stephen tented his fingers and waited. Pissed, Tony turned on the light and chucked a pillow at him. 

“Why now, huh? Why not a month ago? Why not a week ago? Why not any other time when I’m not stuck on a fucking island with my _wife_?” He seethed. 

“Oh, fuck off. I know this may be impossible for your tiny brain to discern but did you ever stop to think about how I even fit into all of this?” 

“Here we go. Everything’s about you.”

Stephen stood up and walked over to Tony’s bedside, hovering over him.

“Tony, you fucking obstinate child,” he snarled. “You already said it. You have a wife. You have a kid. You have a beautiful life; what the fuck are you doing fucking around with me?”

“Ok, clearly I have some shit to figure out but ignoring all of that crap, who the fuck do you think you are, toying around with me like that? I feel like a used tissue!” Tony sat up, jabbing a finger into Stephen’s chest. 

“Ha! _You_ feel used? _‘Hi Stephen, please come over and lick my butthole, maybe my wife can peg me later and I’ll be thinking about you. Kiss kiss kiss_ ’,” Stephen mocked. “Yeah, I can see why this is _so hard_ on you.” 

“Eat shit, wizard. You’re the one who always disappears at _incredibly_ convenient times. And _you_ kissed _me_ , remember? Don’t fucking pretend you’re just some passive player here.” 

“You’re the one holding all of the cards!” Stephen shouted. He was breathing heavily, clenching his fists. “I care about you, Tony,” his voice quieter, “I really do. But you need to figure out whatever the fuck this thing is, before any one else gets hurt.” 

Tony was stunned. He’d never seen Stephen so irate before (at the compound, it was par for the course to witness Tony flip out at someone at least once), and he hated to admit he was getting turned on. He held his hand out to Stephen, who came to sit on his bed, still glaring. 

“I don’t know what this is, either - and I am so, so sorry. Maybe I was being selfish - “ Stephen scoffs. “OK I was _being_ selfish but all I know is that … you make me feel like a dumb teenager in love and it’s super pathetic and I always thought that kind of crap was just in movies, but…” 

“You are infuriating,” Stephen looked at him, noticing the mischievous glint in Tony’s eyes.

“Yeah? What are you gonna do about it, tiger?”

“I’m going to fuck you into this mattress,” Stephen growled. 

“Oh, thank God. I was worried mfff-” Tony was cut off by Stephen attacking his mouth. Any words that might have come out were being assaulted by Stephen’s lips, tongue, and teeth. Stephen had, not so kindly, ripped off Tony’s pants and had started fondling him. Tony frantically kicked off the remainder of his pants and arched into Stephen’s hand. 

“I’ve been thinking about your cock every night,” Stephen said into Tony’s ear. Tony groaned. 

“Fuck. Tell me baby.”

“I want to suck you. I want you writhing underneath me, and I want your cum in my mouth.” 

“Oh yeah?”

“Did you miss me?” 

“I’m leaking a mile a minute over here; what do you think?”

Stephen took Tony’s cock in his mouth and Tony groaned. He playfully teased Tony’s head and then surprised him by taking the full length down his throat. Stephen didn’t stop watching Tony the whole time. Tony threw his head back, eyes closed, mouth gasping for air. Stephen did a quick tut and Tony felt his asshole expand. Did Stephen just magic prep him?? The gentle lick of Stephen’s tongue on his hole said yes, yes Stephen had prepped him. Tony let loose a steady stream of moans as Stephen inserted his tongue. The hazy day dream was interrupted momentarily when Stephen backed off, and Tony mourned the loss. He looked down to see Stephen lazily stroking his own cock. 

“What do you want me to do, Stark?” Ooh, dirty. 

“You know what I want, dickhead.” 

“Tell me,” Stephen’s voice was so low Tony thought he might erupt right then and there. Tony could barely squeak out his answer. 

“I want you to fuck me.” Tony held eye contact with Stephen, willing him to comply. 

“Say it again,” Stephen said, slowly - his hand moving faster. Tony needed that cock. Now. 

“I want you to fuck me, Stephen!” Tony thought he might have died when he felt Stephen’s bulbous head stretching him. Stephen went slow, his eyes fixated on Tony’s entrance. He gently worked his way in, being sure to slowly pull out but not all the way. Tony felt consumed - all of his brain power was focused on that fat cock slowly fucking him into oblivion. He tried to grab hold of anything that was Stephen - he wanted to feel his strong arms, his muscular back. Tony wrapped his legs around Stephen’s waist and pulled him in for a kiss. Stephen gratefully accepted and began a faster pace. 

“You feel amazing,” Tony breathed. 

“As. Do. You,” and Stephen accentuated each word with a thrust of his hips. Tony was soaring. He loved the feelings of Stephen over him, the force of his thrusts pushing him into the mattress, Stephen’s balls hitting Tony’s ass cheeks every time. It was so fucking sexy. 

Stephen straightened his back and began fucking Tony in earnest. Each thrust hit Tony’s sweet spot and it took all of Tony’s might not to scream. He was approaching nirvana, listening to Stephen’s grunts and gasps, feeling Stephen’s deep, rhythmic thrusts. Stephen got even faster. 

“Come for me, Stark, now,” Stephen barely caressed Tony’s cock and Tony erupted all over his stomach with a shout. He felt spunk land on his chin. This fueled Stephen, whose moans increased in pitch, until finally he stilled. Tony could feel Stephen’s member pulsing inside of him and a flood of liquid. Stephen fucked Tony slowly, tiny gasps escaping his mouth. He leant down and licked the come off of Tony’s beard. Tony’s cock twitched, and Stephen pulled him into a slow, languid kiss. 

“Am I dead?” Tony wondered aloud. Stephen had his arm across Tony’s chest, and their legs were intertwined. 

“If you are, does it seem so bad?” Stephen nipped his ear, and began nuzzling his neck.

“Nope, no, this is fine.” Tony was in a daze. His brain threatened to overload from overthinking but it was also exhausted with post-coital bliss.

“I should go,” Stephen said softly. Tony didn’t stop him from getting up. 

“This was fun,” Tony watched Stephen circle the bed, gathering his clothes.

“Tony, please think about what I said.” 

“I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment si te gusta!


	9. It Ain't Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _  
> Somewhere along the lines  
>  We stopped seeing eye to eye_
> 
> _No, I don't wanna know  
>  Where you been or where you're going  
> But I know I won't be home  
> And you'll be on your own_
> 
> _Who's gonna rock you when the sun won't let you sleep?  
>  Who's gonna walk you through the dark side of the morning?  
> It ain't me  
> _  
> \- Kygo & Selena Gomez

The next morning, Tony woke early. He didn’t even realize when Pepper had come in, but she had crawled into bed fully dressed. After a shower, he made his way to the kitchen in search of caffeine. Everyone was still sleeping, except for a certain sorcerer who was sitting at the counter drinking some tea. 

“Good morning,” Tony said cautiously.

“Good morning.” Stephen smiled at him. “How did you sleep?”

“Like a rock. You?”

“Not at all. Would you like to take a walk with me?”

“After coffee, yes.”

  
  


Stephen walked beside Tony, his hands clutched behind his back. Tony was itching to hold his hand, but knew he couldn’t. They didn’t talk until they were well out of view of the beach house.

“I am sorry about last night,” Tony said finally. “I don’t really know what prompted me to go off on you like that.” 

“Someone mentioned you had a drinking competition with Thor. I thought you didn’t like taking shots?” Stephen asked, amused.

“I don’t! Didn’t. I don’t know, I blame you.” 

“You texted me too, by the way.”

“Fuck. Do I want to know?” Tony could have withered on the spot. 

“I believe it said, ‘ _ What has two working hands and texts me back? Not you _ ’,” Stephen said, smiling at Tony’s discomfort. 

“I’m sorry!” 

“Stop apologizing, Tony. We can’t change the past, what’s done is done.” 

They walked a bit further - Stephen watching the horizon, Tony trying not to trip over his own feet while he overanalyzed every single interaction he had ever had with Stephen. 

“I can hear you thinking,” Stephen said, and after noticing the panicked look on Tony’s face, added, “No, not your actual thoughts, I’m not psychic. I’m just trying to tell you that we’re okay.”

Tony looked at him, clearly relieved. 

“I know you have a lot going on, and I’m not asking you to choose between me and her,” Stephen continued, “All I ask is that however you choose to move forward… I just want you to be sure. This may not be life or death, but it’s your life Tony, and you deserve to be happy.” 

Tony stopped then, and pulled Stephen close. He didn’t know why today was so fucking emotional but he seriously felt close to tears. His nose brushed up against Stephen’s, his lips ghosting over Stephen’s mouth. He ran his hand through Stephen’s hair, and felt Stephen’s arms wrap around him. Their lips met tentatively at first, then the kiss deepened as Stephen pressed into him. When they pulled apart, Tony caressed Stephen’s face, loving how the sorcerer turned into his hand. When Stephen’s eyes met his, Tony felt those bright blue eyes piercing his soul, making his heart ache with want. Stephen gently pulled Tony’s hand away from his face, and held it close to his chest.

“We should go back,” Stephen said quietly. Tony nodded, his voice caught in his throat. They walked back to the beach house in silence. 

  
  


After a snorkeling expedition (involving Thor jumping in the ocean naked), the evening itinerary consisted of Bruce cooking dinner on a grill outside. Everyone sat around a fire pit on the patio, and cocktails were made with much less enthusiasm than the night previous. The sun had set, and Tony was sitting in a corner by himself, sipping his drink. He stared at the fire pit, barely noticing when Wanda walked over. 

“So what’s up with you and Dr. Strange?” she asked, plopping down in a seat next to him. 

“Nothing,” Tony said quickly. “I mean, what do you mean?”

“I saw you at the party at the compound,” she said calmly, “And last night, when he walked in…”

“Strange and I were working on a project together, and he ditched me,” he responded, “He does that pretty often I guess.”

“Is that all?” She asked, her hand waving in the air. Tony felt a wave of energy pulse through his body. 

The patio dissolved before his eyes and he was lying next to Stephen in bed. Sunlight was pouring in from an unfamiliar view and Tony was overcome with emotion, watching Stephen’s peaceful sleeping form. The scene changed, Tony was in the kitchen at the lake house, and Stephen was wearing an apron, mixing something in a bowl. Birthday balloons and streamers decorated the dining room, and he could hear Morgan’s happy screech as she ran by. Stephen chased her, whisk in hand, joining in her gleeful laughs. 

When Tony started to reach out to Stephen, the scene changed once more. He was at Stark Tower, the balcony decked out with white flowers, ivy, and eucalyptus leaves. He was standing underneath an arbor, his friends all smiling at him, and Stephen was walking towards him down the aisle. The next thing Tony knew, Stephen was kissing him and he just heard Stephen say, “ _ I love you _ .” 

Tony was crying. He was back on the patio with Wanda beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder. 

“What the fuck?” He said, still not grasping what just happened. 

“I can use my powers for good too, you know. Sometimes we all need a push to see what we really want,” she said. Tony couldn’t find any words to say. “Follow your heart, Tony Stark.” 

Wanda got up, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts. 

  
  
  
  


“We need to talk,” Tony said suddenly. He and Pepper were on their private jet back to New York, two hours into a fifteen hour flight. 

“If you’re wondering about the Super Bowl box, I already cancelled -”

“No, Pep, we need to  _ talk _ .” She looked up from her laptop. 

“About what?”

“About us,” Tony wrung his hands, “I didn’t want to do it here, but I can’t wait anymore.” 

“What do you mean, Tony?” her face filled with concern. 

“I can’t do this,” Tony hung his head. “I can’t do  _ us _ .” 

“Are you okay? Did Thor put something in your food again? I should call Bruce -”

“God damn it, Pep!” Tony said loudly, trying to control his breathing. “I’m fine. You know what, I’m actually more than fine. And I need you to  _ hear _ me when I say, I don’t think I can be with you anymore.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do, that’s what I said.” 

She started rambling.

“We’ll go to counseling. We can go back to Dr. Marten and see what she says, maybe she’ll have a solution -”

“You aren’t  _ listening  _ to me -” Tony said, but was cut off by an insane laugh from Pepper. 

“ _ I’m _ not listening to  _ you _ ? That’s really funny Tony, because I swear to god I can’t even remember the last time you listened to me. And you know what’s the  _ best _ thing about you pulling this stunt right now?”

“It’s not a stunt -”

“No, you shut up right now. You never listen to me, Tony, and everything is always about  _ you _ . Why are you making all the judgment calls? When do I get my say, huh? When do I get to -”

“I don’t love you anymore!” Tony shouted. Pepper sat back, stunned. She was at a loss for words. “I care for you, deeply,” he said, softer. She clasped her mouth as tears rolled down her face. “I’m just not in love with you.”

Tony didn’t think it necessary to get into the philosophical argument with her, where he didn’t think he was ever  _ in _ love with her. His relationship with Pepper had always been complicated, layered, and intimately connected to all facets of his life. 

“I know,” he said, his voice shaking, “I have impeccable timing -”

“Is there someone else? Was it something I did?” Pepper cried, her face contorting. Tony considered lying, mentioning Stephen right now wouldn’t do him any favors. Should he just blurt  _ I’M GAY _ ? Except he wasn’t, he just didn’t find Pepper very interesting. “What are we going to tell Morgan?”

She quieted then, her hands tried to flatten out her skirt as tears continued to roll down her face. 

“There’s no one else,” he affirmed, “I’ve just been feeling this for awhile, and I didn’t say anything because… because I’m a coward.” 

“Is there anything I can do? I just can’t…” She closed her laptop. He let her cry, not sure if he should walk over and comfort her or if she would bludgeon him the first opportunity she had. “Do you remember our wedding vows?” 

“Of course I do.”

“Did you mean any of it?” 

“Yes. All of it.”

“ _ Then how the fuck did we get here _ ?” She demanded, her face red. “ _ What the fuck happened, Tony! _ ” 

“Pep, calm down honey, please -”

“DON’T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN,” She stood then, marching over to Tony. “How dare you!”

“I’m sorry, this isn’t how I wanted it -” 

“This isn’t how I wanted it, either! We were supposed to be together! Everyone always said, ‘ _ way to go, Pepper _ ’, and  _ ‘you two are so good together _ ’, ‘ _ good job wrangling the philanderer, Pepper _ ’, guess I can’t tame a fucking ANIMAL,” she was pacing, throwing her hands up. 

“Hey!” Tony stood, trying to appease her, “I know this isn’t fucking ideal!”

“Then get over yourself, Tony! Not everything is about you, you aren’t even fucking Iron Man anymore! Why are you always such a selfish  _ dick _ ?” 

“Do you seriously want this? You want to be married to someone who doesn’t love you?” He asked her, steadying her with his hands on her shoulders. 

“No,” her face falling in sadness, “I just want you to love me.”

She collapsed against him, more tears falling. He held her close, trying to be consoling. He thought about the irony of their vows - til death do us part. Tony  _ did _ die, and for some reason, the part of him that wanted a future with Pepper died too. 

It did not feel great. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dunnnn


	10. Just Breathe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I don't wanna hurt, there's so much in this world to make me bleed_
> 
> _Stay with me  
>  You're all I see _
> 
> _Did I say that I need you?  
>  Did I say that I want you?  
> Oh, if I didn't I'm a fool you see  
> No one knows this more than me_
> 
> _As I come clean  
>  I wonder everyday, as I look upon your face,  
> Everything you gave  
> And nothing you would take  
> _
> 
> \- Pearl Jam

STARK:  **I did it** . 

Stephen had called. Tony couldn’t bear to answer.

STRANGE:  **I’m here if you need me.**

  
  


The drive to the lake house was nothing short of awkward. Tony and Pepper had agreed to not say anything to her parents, that Tony would just leave after he spoke to Morgan. If Happy noticed anything was off between the couple, he didn’t say a word. 

Pepper hugged her parents, while Morgan jumped into Tony’s arms. Everything seemed to be going fine until Pepper’s mom asked how the trip was, and with one look at Tony, Pepper crumbled. Her mother ran after her, her father stood in the kitchen, confused. He was about to ask, but Tony took Morgan to the living room and sat her on the couch. 

“Pumpkin, daddy’s going away for a little while -” he said as calmly as he could. 

“Can I come?” She asked innocently.

“No honey, but I-”

“Where are you going?”

“I’ll call you every day,” Tears began to form in Tony’s eyes. 

“Where are you going, daddy?” Her question lingered in the air, and Tony hugged her tightly.

“I love you so much, sweetheart,” he kissed her little head, and got up from the floor. He grabbed his keys and walked through the front door. He was already driving before he saw his father-in-law in the rearview mirror, running down the driveway hollering - 

“ _ WHAT DID YOU DO, STARK _ ?”

  
  


Tony could barely see. Tears blurred his vision as he barreled down the highway. He just wanted to get to Stark Tower so he could hide. What had he  _ done _ ? Everything seemed to have happened so quickly, and Tony almost wished he hadn’t opened his fat mouth on the plane. This was better, maybe. Parts of him were out in the open, and Pepper was better off for knowing this much.

He felt terrible, imagining Morgan’s precious face, asking her mother where Tony went. He had zero doubt in his mind his in-laws would immediately attack his character. They never really approved of him, and Tony could certainly see why. 

Tony finally did it. He was breaking up his family. He screamed until his voice got hoarse, hands gripping the steering wheel. A flash of blue lights caught his attention, and he looked down at the odometer. He was going 120 miles per hour.

“Sir, do you know why I pulled you over?” The cop walked up and leant over to look into Tony’s car. He had a moment of realization. “Holy shit, you’re Tony Stark!”

“Yeah, it’s me. Can you just write me the ticket, please?” Tony held out his license and registration, but he didn’t take it.

“No way, man! I want a picture!”

“No -” Tony objected, but he was already jogging back to his cruiser to get his cell phone. When he came back, he posed for a selfie with Tony and Tony reluctantly smiled. He knew he looked fucking awful - thankfully he was wearing his sunglasses to cover his puffy eyes. The cop kept taking more pictures, not satisfied.

“Will you  _ please _ finish up? I really have to get going,” Tony huffed. 

“Is it official Avengers business?” The cop said eagerly.

“Yes,” Tony lied. 

“Alright. I’ll let you off with a warning this time, Mr. Stark. Just remember the laws apply to people like you too!” He thumped the top of Tony’s maserati.

“Yeah, thanks,” Tony said and rolled his window up. The internet was going to have a field day with those photos. 

The next two weeks consisted of Tony sitting in the dark of Stark Tower. He didn’t want to eat, he didn’t want to sleep, he didn’t want to work. He wanted to drink, and drink he did. He managed to make a point of making himself presentable for his daily video chats with Morgan, but as soon as he hung up he opened a bottle. 

There was no word from Pepper, not that he expected anything. Happy just sent him a bunch of middle finger emojis. He wondered how long it would be until this leaked to the press, or until the other Avengers found out. How would Peter react? He was glad Peter was in Tennessee visiting Harley Keener. He wouldn’t be able to look either of them in the eye right now. 

When he received word from Pepper’s divorce attorney, his resolve disintegrated. He couldn’t keep away from Stephen any longer, he desperately needed the other man. Stephen was being so patient with him. He didn’t pester Tony, didn’t harass him for not responding. He sent one word.

STARK:  **hey**

Stephen responded seconds later.

STRANGE:  **Come to the Sanctum.**

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“I think we are in need of a reset. Will you join me for some breathing exercises?” 

“Sure.” Stephen took Tony’s hand and led him down the hallway. He opened the door to a room that was completely devoid of furniture - only having an ornate rug in the middle of the floor, ancient tapestries on the wall, and some decorative pillows. The room smelled heavily of incense. 

“This is my meditation room. Remove all of your clothing and join me on the carpet when you are ready.” With a wave of his hand, Stephen’s robes floated away and he walked stark naked to the center of the room. He sat cross legged on the floor and closed his eyes. Palms out, he breathed deeply. Tony delicately took his clothes off, keeping his eyes fixated on the fascinating sorcerer. 

“Are you comfortable?” Stephen asked, his eyes still closed. Tony sat on the floor in front of him. 

“It’s a little breezy, but yeah, I feel good.” 

“Good. Straighten your back.” Tony began to object, but Stephen talked over him. “We are going to breathe purposefully. ‘ _ Sometimes breathing is hard, sometimes it comes easily _ ’. You may close your eyes entirely, or keep them open with a softened gaze. I would recommend closing so you do not get distracted.” 

Tony smirked. 

“Begin by taking long, deep, breaths. Inhale… and exhale fully,” Stephen continued, taking deep breaths of his own. “Feel the air enter your lungs, expand your belly, exit your body. When I exhale, you inhale.” 

Tony was excited. He felt connected to Stephen, sitting here playing rhythm-breaths. He tried to match the length of his breaths to Stephen’s but the man was clearly an expert. Tony’s first few breaths were shaky. It’s like he had never been asked to breathe before. After a few minutes of this back and forth, he finally felt his breathing level out. He was calm. He was relaxed. He had nothing on his mind, except imagining air traveling through Stephen’s nose, down to his lungs and out through his sweet, plump, lips. 

“Keep your eyes closed. I’m going to touch you.”

Tony felt warm oil being poured on his shoulders. He felt Stephen’s trembling hands begin to massage his neck. Stephen pressed his fingers firmly down Tony’s neck, leading into the tops of his shoulders. Stephen spread out his palms on Tony’s shoulder blades and he continued massaging in circular motions. He kneaded his thumbs near Tony’s spine and Tony let out a groan. 

“Lie down on your back, please. Continue breathing as you were.” 

Tony obliged. More oil was poured and Stephen rubbed it into his chest, carefully avoiding the arc reactor. His hands trailed down Tony’s abdomen, and Tony’s breath hitched but Stephen didn’t touch his cock. Instead, those strong hands began to knead Tony’s legs, stretching his skin and massaging tight muscle. 

Stephen took a slightly chiropractic approach and began stretching Tony’s limbs. He started with the arms, carefully pulling and kneading. More oil was poured onto Tony’s legs and Stephen brought Tony’s knee to his chest, stretching the muscles behind his upper leg. He did the same to Tony’s other leg, rubbing oil on the inside of Tony’s thighs, but ignoring his slowly burgeoning member. He massaged Tony’s feet, paying special attention to the space between the toes. He gently placed Tony’s feet back on the floor.

“Keep breathing,” Stephen reminded him, and stepped away. 

“Where are you?”

“I’m still here.” Tony felt the faintest brush of Stephen’s lips on his chest. He could feel the tickle of Stephen’s beard brushing his skin, and another faint kiss near his belly button. The kisses became more firm as they approached Tony’s crotch, but faded away to the lightest of touches on the inside of Tony’s legs. 

This continued for what seemed like hours. Tony just lying there, breathing, while Stephen continued to torture Tony with featherweight kisses. Tony was too aroused to object. Sometimes Stephen would brush him gently with the tips of his fingers. Stephen quickly found Tony’s most sensitive spots - the inside of his wrist, that place behind his ear, his neck, right below his navel. Tony’s metered breath was interrupted by his own moans and sighs. Stephen would remind him to breathe as he hovered over Tony’s body, drinking in his growing desperation. Every time Stephen would get close to Tony’s cock, he would stop just short of touching it. Tony could feel the wave of his hand over it and it was driving him insane. 

“Stephen,” Tony gasped, “Please.” 

“Have you heard of edging, Tony?” Stephen rumbled, straddling Tony’s chest. He held his hardened cock in his hand, resting it on Tony’s chin. Tony inhaled. 

“I’m guessing I’m there.” 

“Indeed. When you approach the edge, I’m going to stop. We shall repeat this cycle for as long as possible.” 

“So you’re a sadist and a sorcerer?” Tony blinked his eyes open, staring at the gorgeous specimen above him. Stephen’s eyes were dilated. 

“Suck,” he said, rubbing the head over Tony’s lips. Tony’s tongue darted out, and Stephen took the opportunity to guide his cock down Tony’s throat. He moaned as Tony relaxed his throat and he moved to the floor for a better position. His knees rested on either side of Tony’s head, and he slowly pumped into Tony’s mouth. After a few minutes Tony’s throat constricted, and Stephen had to pull out. He backed down Tony’s body, trapping him in a searing kiss, and began massaging Tony’s body again. 

Tony, only recently remembering that he had arms, took his turn running his hands all over the sorcerer’s body. Tony latched his lips to Stephen’s mouth and felt the man’s strong biceps, his back, his abs. He gripped Stephen’s ass and did an appreciative swipe past his hole - only to find it already lubed and ready. He dipped his fingers in, enjoying the small gasps from the taller man. 

Stephen trapped Tony’s body between his legs, leaning down to give him a kiss. Tony’s fingers were still playing with his ass, and Stephen guided Tony’s prick to his entrance. As Stephen sat, he only let the head rest there - he could feel Tony’s member twitching, the blood pumping ferociously through his veins. He moved downward but only just, and then pulled himself off completely. Tony moaned in both pleasure and disappointment. Leaning down to kiss Tony’s neck, Stephen let his cock brush against Tony’s. 

“Don’t forget to breathe,” Stephen whispered, and Tony smacked him.

“Just sit on my dick, asshole.” Stephen positioned himself again, and as he was sinking down, Tony thrust up, hard. It took three seconds for Stephen to tut a spell that plastered Tony’s limbs to the floor with bright orange strands of light. Tony whined. “That’s not fair!” 

“My house, my rules.” Stephen continued his slow assault on Tony’s senses. He fucked himself slowly with Tony’s cock, and paused when Tony breathed erratically. He caressed Tony’s body, tortured him with kisses.

“Oh my godddd,” Tony moaned. He couldn’t even keep track of how many times he had been to the edge, and Stephen had taken it away. Tony was buried to the hilt, and was watching Stephen fuck himself slowly. Stephen’s head was tilted back, his back resting on Tony’s knees, and his hands clasping Tony’s ankles. His chest was heaving outwards, glistening with sweat. Tony wanted with every fiber of his being to lick Stephen’s body, maybe bite it. “Stephen, I don’t think I can - “ 

Stephen groaned, and released Tony from the spell. Immediately Tony grabbed a hold of Stephen’s hips and thrusted up into him. 

“Touch yourself,” Tony begged, his thrusts becoming frantic. “I want to see you come.”

With every thrust Stephen matched Tony, hurling his body down with renewed fervor. His scarred hands worked his cock, and he made sounds Tony never wanted to forget. This was ecstacy. The slapping of skin, the smell of sweat-slicked bodies, the animalistic rutting. Tony was losing his mind, letting loose a stream of profanities while Stephen moaned his name. Tony saw white. His orgasm overwhelmed all of his senses as he felt himself spill into his lover. As Stephen contracted around him, Tony looked down to see the man come in his own hand, head thrown back, a soft moan escaping his lips. Tony pulsed again, rolling his hips up into Stephen. 

Tony rolled Stephen onto his back, climbing over him without slipping out. Tony kissed him, pushing into him, his member slowing coming back to life. Stephen curled his knees towards his chest, allowing Tony to have better access. 

“You’re so fucking tight,” Tony growled, planting his hands on floor. He thrusted deeply into Stephen, bottoming out every single time. Stephen had his eyes closed, mouth partly open. “Do you like it when I fuck you?”

“I need your fat cock inside of me,” Stephen moaned. Tony thrusted harder. “Oh yeah…”

It didn’t take long for Tony’s second orgasm to arrive. He fucked Stephen through it and then pulled out gently. As Stephen caught his breath Tony took him into his mouth. He teased his head with his tongue until Stephen grabbed his head and pushed it down forcefully. A couple of minutes later, Stephen was coming down Tony’s throat. 

Tony didn’t know much time had passed - the cloak must have covered them with a blanket and shoved some pillows under their heads. The sky had fallen dark and the room was illuminated by the street lamps outside. Tony lay there, his head on Stephen’s chest, listening to the deep and peaceful breathing of the sated sorcerer. This must be what heaven felt like. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Embracing Tao, you become embraced.  
>  Supple, breathing gently, you become reborn.  
> Clearing your vision, you become clear.  
> Nurturing your beloved, you become impartial.  
> Opening your heart, you become accepted.  
> Accepting the World, you embrace Tao.  
> Bearing and nurturing,  
> Creating but not owning,  
> Giving without demanding,  
> Controlling without authority,  
> This is love._  
> -Lao Tzu


	11. An Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine arrives at the Sanctum, Tony starts a new project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking a break from song lyrics - just setting up the next part of this story. Next chapter got too long ;)

Tony was woken abruptly by Stephen flailing. The cloak was pummeling him, and Stephen was swatting it in return. 

“I’m up, I’m up!” Stephen shouted, irritated. 

“What’s going on?” Tony said sleepily. 

“There’s someone here, stay here.” Stephen hastily threw on a pair of pants and left the room, the door swinging shut loudly behind him.

They had moved to Stephen’s bed at some point in the night, and Tony was enjoying the silk sheets instead of the carpet. He looked around - it was a pretty dark room, sunlight barely filtering in behind two heavy curtains. Paneled wood walls reached up to a dark tin ceiling. Decorations were sparse, a couple of stone carvings hung on the wall, and an ornate tapestry behind the bed. An antique lamp was on Stephen’s bedside table. It was hidden behind a pile of old books, and Tony liked to think of Stephen falling asleep while reading, tired from a long day of doing wizard crap. 

But Tony really had to pee. He battled with it internally for a few minutes - Stephen did ask him to stay put. But what if Stephen needed help? What if Stephen left and straight up forgot about him? He decided it was worth the wizard’s wrath, and threw on his clothes. 

The first door he opened looked like an armory. The next, a study of some sort - he knew the larger library was downstairs. The third door brought him to the top of the stairwell, and he could hear raised voices from below. His curiosity got the best of him and he tiptoed down the stairs, following Stephen’s voice to the kitchen. It was joined by another familiar voice. 

“We’re engaged, I told you that,” It was Christine Palmer, the surgeon who operated on Tony. 

“What happened to the Strange policy?” He could hear Stephen say. He was frustrated.

“You don’t work there anymore, Stephen. I adhered to it mostly because of you.” 

The creak of the door announced Tony’s arrival. 

“Mr. Stark! What -” Christine paused, clearly confused, “How’s your arm?”

“Um, fine,” Tony said awkwardly, “I was looking for the bathroom,” he added apologetically to Stephen. He was met with a glare. 

“When is the dinner?” Stephen asked, blatantly ignoring Tony. Christine looked from Tony’s disheveled appearance to Stephen’s state of undress. Her eyes twinkled. 

“May 7th. You should bring Mr. Stark,” she grinned. She was in the middle of unloading groceries into Stephen’s barren fridge. 

“Doesn’t your shift start soon, or something?” Stephen deflected. He picked up a jar and appeared to read the ingredients. 

“What is all this?” Tony gathered his wits to cross the threshold into the kitchen. 

“Christine thought I was dying so she brought me groceries,” Stephen said, sarcasm dripping. 

“You didn’t answer your phone for weeks, I thought you were maybe in one of your depressive episodes. I was being  _ nice _ ,” she closed the fridge door and looked pointedly at Stephen. “I can see now why you were so distracted.” 

“I have responsibilities to the Sanctum.”

“Ah yes, but surely even the Sorcerer Supreme needs to eat?” He flinched as she booped his nose. 

“There’s a bodega around the corner!”

“Fine. Starve,” She said, checking her watch. “Ooh! I gotta go.”

Tony watched her kiss Stephen on the cheek. 

“Don’t be a stranger,” she said earnestly to Stephen, holding his hand. She turned to Tony. “It was good to see you, Mr. Stark. I’m glad you’re well.”

“Likewise,” Tony said, then Stephen walked Christine out to the front door. Tony couldn’t hear any more of their exchange. 

When Stephen walked back into the kitchen, Tony was sitting at the counter island sipping a glass of water. 

“Sorry about that,” Stephen said. He walked over to the cupboards and pulled out a percolator and coffee beans. 

“No, I’m sorry I intruded. That was nice of her, though,” Tony conceded.

“She worries too much.” 

“What was the dinner about?” 

“Her  _ fiance _ is speaking at the American Neurological Society dinner.” Stephen filled the percolator up with water and set it on the gas stove. 

“You should go! I’m sure your friends would love to see you,” Tony said. Stephen gave him a look.

“They’re not my friends, and no, they wouldn’t.” 

“Something to think about, I guess.” Stephen didn’t respond. 

Tony left after coffee, Stephen was gracious enough to portal him directly back into Stark Tower. The Stark Expo was three months to go, and Tony had nothing to show for it. He’d been a little preoccupied with his… marital problems. Luckily, he had an excessive amount of projects that he’d started and never finished. With a little effort, he imagined he would have something ready in no time. 

“Hey F.R.I.,” he said as soon as he got into his lab. He took a seat in a swivel chair, and plopped his feet on his desk. “Open the vault.”

“Sure thing, boss,” the A.I. replied. Menus popped up on holographic screens in front of him. 

“Subsection arc reactor, subsection nuclear power.” Options loaded. Smart city? Too big. Tony would never get it done in time. Nuclear powered car? Maybe. Tony swiped it to the side. He knew it had been presented at the 1957 Stark Expo, but only a scale model. 

“What’s the smallest thing in here?” Tony asked, still scrolling through his options.

“A cancer treatment pill, internal pulse radiation,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded. 

“Ok, too small. What about something that fits in my hand?” 

“Finger-tip tape measure?” 

“Marketability?”

“Poor.”

“Ok, next.”

“Do you want to be innovative or marketable?” The A.I. asked. 

“Both, but marketable first. I can be innovative next year,” Tony sighed. 

“How about cell phones with nuclear microgenerators?” F.R.I.D.A.Y. suggested, pulling up the specifications on the screen. 

“Looks promising. Save it.” 

If he did the math right (and he always does) he would have 1,176 hours to dedicate to a new project. Maybe Peter and Harley could help, they had spring break right before the expo. Harley was studying engineering at Vanderbilt University on full scholarship. Tony was so proud - he never would have guessed that scrawny little kid who helped him bring down the Mandarin would follow in his footsteps. 

Tony offered help over the years. He knew Harley’s mother was a struggling single mom, but she always turned him down. Instead, Tony would fly Harley out for school breaks, or visit him on random weekends in Tennessee. When Morgan was born, Tony had less time. Harley took it in stride, and Tony watched from afar through Harley’s teenage years. They stayed in contact over phone calls, and Tony always sent him a Christmas present. 

Harley stayed in the city with Tony for a few weeks one summer. He and Peter, only a year apart in age, got along quickly. They both shared a love for good science and bad science fiction. Tony was thrilled when he heard Peter was spending winter break with Harley - he thought of them as his kids. They were both incredibly intelligent, though Harley was more handy and Peter was better at numbers. Given a project, they would do incredibly well together. 

Tony finished scrolling through potential projects. He picked his top five and put the rest away, back to rest in the vault until another day. He had been so wrapped up in his emotions, he had neglected his work. The previous night with Stephen had been incredibly healing, mostly in calming Tony’s anxiety. Whatever he had with Stephen was safe. For now. 

STRANGE:  **We should go on a date.**

Tony was puzzled. Stephen had to know Tony wouldn’t go anywhere. Even if the paparazzi didn’t show up, any half-wit with a cell phone could destroy their evening. When Tony didn’t respond, Stephen sent another text.

STRANGE:  **Allow me to rephrase: let me cook you dinner.**

He felt sassy.

STARK:  **You’ve already seen me naked, you don’t have to cook me dinner** . 

It looked like Stephen was trying to figure out the best response. Tony watched the little dots on the screen appear and disappear.

STRANGE:  **I’ll open a portal at 7pm tomorrow. If you’re late,**

**I will hunt you down and drag you here kicking and screaming.**

Tony smiled. Was that a promise?


	12. Dusk til Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I wanna see the sunrise and your sins  
>  Just me and you  
> Light it up, on the run  
> Let's make love, tonight_
> 
> _But you'll never be alone  
>  Baby, I'm right here  
> I'll hold you when things go wrong  
> I'll be with you from dusk till dawn_
> 
> \- Zayn (ft. Sia)

When Tony stepped through the portal, he found himself in the entryway of the Sanctum. The air was permeated with the aroma of exotic spices. As he walked towards the kitchen, he could hear sizzling and pans clanging. Stephen was facing the stove, a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder. Tony was floored. Stephen was wearing a white henley, sleeves rolled up, and a pair of blue jeans. He had never seen Stephen in casual clothing, and he was certainly rocking it. 

“What… I like your outfit,” Tony said, admiring the doctor’s butt, framed perfectly in its denim confines.

“Thanks. It seemed to be a sore spot with you, so I went shopping.”  
“Really.”  
“No, Christine went shopping,” Stephen admitted.  
“She’s got great taste.”  
“Except in men, apparently,” Stephen turned, cast iron pan still in hand, and kissed Tony on the lips. “Were you working today?”

“Yeah,” Tony pulled out a stool at the counter island. “The uh, Stark Expo is coming up and I told Pep- I mean, I told the board I was going to do something for it.” 

“I see,” Stephen said, his attention still on the stovetop. “And what are you making?” 

“Um… nuclear powered cell phone maybe? I haven’t decided yet.” Tony watched as Stephen dumped a can of coconut milk into the pan, and lit the other burners. He placed an iron griddle over half of the stove, and moved to the kitchen counter to roll out dough. 

“I’m so sorry, I meant to have this finished by the time you arrived, but I got caught up in a book,” Stephen apologized. 

“No worries, I love watching you work,” Tony smiled. “You got anything to drink?” 

Stephen had decanted a bottle, a 1986 Bertani Amarone. He apologized again but Tony waved him off. It smelled wonderful, and Tony poured a glass for himself and for Stephen. Tony sat back on the stool, sipping his wine, watching Stephen cook the dough on the griddle. He loved the look of concentration on Stephen’s face, the way he pursed his lips while he focused. He flitted around the kitchen with intention, and Tony was mesmerized watching him pull everything together. With the assist of the cloak, they carried everything down the hall to an indoor garden. 

“Welcome to the conservatory,” Stephen sat, and poured Tony some more wine. The room was unusually warm, the panes of glass fogging ever so slightly. It was lit up by floating little orbs of orange light Stephen must have conjured. If they didn’t have to suffer the light pollution of the city, it would have been a nice spot to examine the night sky in the middle of winter. 

Stephen had prepared a vegetable curry, fragrant jasmine rice, and fresh garlic naan. It was no surprise to Tony that everything was delicious and cooked flawlessly - Stephen’s perfectionism extended to all aspects of his life. He was a master of the mystic arts, an award-winning surgeon, and a fantastic lover. Of course he could cook. 

More than any of that, though, Tony was thankful he finally had a minute to spend with Stephen. He felt like they hadn’t had time to sit down and _just talk_ for months. Bora Bora was hectic, the flight back was even worse, and after a couple of weeks in self-imposed isolation, Tony was ready to talk.

“So… not your ward?” Stephen smiled, asking about Peter. 

“Uh, no. It’s complicated. He’s suffered a lot of loss. I guess I hoped I would step in as a father figure,” Tony said. Stephen didn’t answer, just slowly dipped his naan in the curry and waited for Tony to respond. “Yeah, probably because my father sucked. Have I told you about Harley?” 

Tony proceeded to enlighten Stephen about the history of Harley and his role in his life. He would love for Peter and Harley to get to know Stephen better. He had no idea when Stephen would be able to meet Morgan, or if they would even be able to cultivate a relationship. It was something Tony craved, but he knew he would have to wait for time to pass. 

“Christine is nice,” Tony acknowledged, circling back to their encounter the previous morning. Stephen could feel Tony staring him down. 

“There’s nothing there, Tony. I came out to her a long time ago,” Stephen reassured. 

“Really? Were you always -?”

“I’ve kept an open mind.”

“Did you have any boyfriends?” Tony asked. 

“Just one, during my undergrad years. It was horribly damaging to my psyche,” Stephen sipped his wine. “Christine had the misfortune of trying to pick up the pieces all those years later. What about you?”

“I’ve had… playthings. I never pursued a relationship with a man. So… you win,” Tony smiled, hoping it didn’t sound insincere. “I don’t think I ever pursued a relationship with anyone. Pepper is… was… a situational convenience and it’s hard to put a label on what we are.” 

“How are the divorce proceedings?”

“Uh… I have to meet with my guy soon, I haven’t looked over anything yet but I can’t imagine it’s too terrible. She’s really bad at being vindictive.” 

“I am sorry you’re having to deal with all of this.”

“It’s for the best. For me, for her. It was bound to happen. It really shouldn’t have happened in the first place but y’know, I got so caught up in wanting a family I didn’t stop to think about what would happen once I got what I wanted. And now, I have this beautiful daughter and I can’t give her the luxury of having a normal fucking family. But I guess that’s what happens when your father is a Stark.” 

“It’s not your fault, Tony.” 

“Then whose fault is it?” 

The conversation steered away from family-talk and Tony was able to relax enough to enjoy dessert. Stephen had made a coconut crème brûlée and torched the sugar topping with the tips of his fingers. It was adorable. Another bottle of wine later, Stephen took Tony to bed, toppling onto the mattress. In between the kisses and the laughs, Tony felt a creeping sense of anxiety. 

It woke him in the middle of the night. Stephen was fast asleep, his chest rising slowly with each steady breath. Tony went to the bathroom (oddly, it was only one door over) and quietly closed the door behind him. He turned on the tap to the sink and splashed water on his face. Breathing deeply, he looked into the mirror. 

He was fine. He was safe. He was in the Sanctum, and he was with Stephen. So why didn’t he feel okay? He splashed his face again. Thoughts of his father came to his mind and he couldn’t help but draw parallels between him and Morgan. Howard was always gone for work, and if he was home, he was angry or dismissive. How many times had Tony cancelled plans with Morgan? Now that they were separated, how often would he see her at all?

Was he just repeating the hurt that his father inflicted on him? Tony felt damaged. He knew his father loved him but it was hard to justify his childhood. He often wondered what his life would have been like if his father was present, how much farther he could have gone with active support. Was he fueled by his father’s absence, or hindered? He sunk to the floor, his breathing becoming erratic as tears welled in his eyes. 

And what in the ever loving fuck was he doing here? Pepper was a perfect partner - giving, loyal, compassionate. She was too good for him, Tony never deserved to be with her at all. He didn’t even deserve her when she was his assistant. He was drowning. He wondered if he had a brain tumor or something. There was nothing wrong with Pepper, probably, but he wasn’t even remotely attracted to her. Then, Stephen came along and the world felt like it was on fire again. 

He and Pepper had had a dry spell - before they separated for the summer, their love life had dwindled to months between intimacy. Even in the last six months, Tony could count on one hand - hell, on one half of a hand of how many times they’d had sex. First, when Happy pissed him off at the Avenger’s party, and the second night in Bora Bora. Stephen had left, and after Wanda did her magic, Tony felt conflicted and sought comfort in Pepper’s arms. In retrospect, that probably added to her confusion when he broke up with her hours later. 

Tony was an idiot. A philandering, good-for-nothing idiot. A confused idiot? And here he was, pulling the goddamn Sorcerer Supreme down his spiral of hedonistic tendencies. Was he just using Stephen? Was this the real thing? 

“Tony?” Stephen said quietly through the door. Hearing no particular response, he pushed the door open. Tony looked up at him, his face tear-streaked. Stephen’s face softened, and he sat down beside him. As Stephen pulled him into his arms, Tony broke down into full blown sobs. Stephen let him cry, holding him as tightly as he could. 

When Tony stopped shaking, he sat up. Tears still rolled down his face, and Stephen reached up to wipe them away. Tony studied Stephen’s moonlit face, filled with concern.

“What are we doing, Stephen?” He whispered, his lips trembling. Stephen didn’t answer, only rested his forehead against Tony’s, and caressed his face. He tentatively kissed Tony on the lips, silently asking for permission. Tony kissed him back slowly, hesitantly. Stephen pulled away, his hand cradling Tony’s face. 

“I’ll be whatever you need me to be,” Stephen said softly, looking Tony in the eyes. Tony kissed him then, forcefully. He was hungry, he wanted all Stephen could offer and he wanted it immediately. His hands ran through Stephen’s hair, holding his head so Tony could continue his assault on the sorcerer’s lips. Stephen was reluctant, at first, but quickly gave in when he sensed Tony’s urgency. 

“I need you,” Tony reeled backwards, pulling Stephen on top of him. He revelled in the coolness of the tile floor, a nice contrast to the heat and weight of Stephen’s body. He held Stephen close. Stephen’s tongue firmly traced lines on his neck, and Tony moaned as Stephen nipped that spot behind his ear. He could feel Stephen’s hardening length brush against his thigh and he parted his legs, letting him in. 

“Please,” Tony pleaded, pushing his hips up towards Stephen. He needed release. “Take me.” 

Tony was overwhelmed with emotion, and melted into Stephen’s kiss. He could feel Stephen’s hands roaming his body, taking possession. Stephen was kneading his ass, a finger gently brushing by Tony’s hole. Tony swatted at him.

“Just do it!” He demanded, taking a hold of Stephen’s member and guiding him to his entrance. Stephen’s eyes didn’t leave his face as Tony forced him to enter, he tried to go slow but Tony was insistent - he gripped Stephen’s back and pulled him forward. Stephen yelped as he became fully seated, Tony could feel him throbbing in between heavy breaths. 

“C’mon,” Tony urged, “I won’t break.” 

Stephen began thrusting then, carefully, but Tony’s hands were bruising his back. Tony wanted to _get fucked_. Stephen shifted to support himself better, pushing deeper into the man beneath him. Tony was frantic. He was licking, biting, kissing any part of Stephen he could reach. Stephen barreled into him, fueled by Tony’s moans. With every thrust Tony felt more alive. He ignored the pain - his knees cramping, the force of Stephen’s hips pushing his back into the cold hard floor. 

Stephen sat up, and Tony took his own cock in his hand. He was close. He matched Stephen’s rhythm, his eyes never leaving Stephen’s face. He held a complex visage, somewhere between ecstacy, pain, and concern. Tony closed his eyes, focusing on the relentless pounding, the sharp exhales from Stephen, the little moans he made in between. 

“Tony,” Stephen sighed breathlessly, and he increased his pace. He hooked Tony’s leg over his shoulder, leaning down to claim Tony’s mouth. Tony groaned at the change of angle, Stephen’s cock brushing that spot deep inside of him with every thrust of his hips. Tony moaned against Stephen’s lips as he felt his orgasm approaching, and Stephen held him there, whispering encouragement. Tony came silently, gasping for air as he felt himself contract around Stephen, his seed spurting onto his own stomach. It must have triggered Stephen’s orgasm, as the sorcerer was slowly rolling his hips, his head buried in Tony’s neck. They kissed, trying to catch their collective breath. Stephen lay his head on Tony’s chest.

“Are you okay?” Stephen asked, listening to Tony’s thundering heartbeat.

“I will be.” 

Back in Stephen’s bed, Tony fell asleep wrapped in his arms; Stephen’s forehead pressed into his back, the warmth of his legs curled behind Tony’s knees. Stephen held him tight, his fingers intertwined with Tony’s, their feet tangled underneath the sheets. He planted kisses on Tony’s back, waiting for his breath to slow and even out. When Stephen was positive Tony was asleep, he allowed himself to cry. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments / kudos fuel me. Send some love!


	13. Gravity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony adjusts to his new life, something about Morgan, Stephen's getting an apprentice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Gravity is working against me  
>  And gravity wants to bring me down  
> Oh, I'll never known what makes this man  
> With all the love that his heart can stand  
> Dream of ways to throw it all away_
> 
> _Oh twice as much ain't twice as good  
>  And can't sustain like one half could  
> It's wanting more  
> That's gonna send me to my knees_
> 
> \- John Mayer

A couple of months later, Tony was getting used to his new normal. He was spending a lot of nights at the Sanctum, usually heading over when Stephen was on his way to bed. His new project was taking a lot of hours out of his day, and he often worked for twelve hours straight. F.R.I.D.A.Y. set up regular scheduled phone calls with Morgan, and every so often a portal would open up, dropping a take-out meal onto his workspace. 

Stephen first noticed Tony’s poor habits when he spent all day cooking dinner, and Tony inhaled it in about three minutes. He fell asleep at the table. It was ridiculous, but Stephen was thankful Tony had found something to preoccupy his mind. When Tony arrived at the Sanctum, he was often distracted, wired, and not particularly talkative.

The divorce proceedings were moving along slowly, mostly because anything that ended up in Tony’s hands for review stayed on his desk, buried under a mountain of circuitry and solder. If Pepper was frustrated, she didn’t let it show. She dropped off Morgan on irregular weekends. Tony wasn’t thrilled with the schedule, but he knew it was difficult to navigate. For a six-year old, Morgan had a peculiar amount of social obligations. 

They had agreed to go to the Central Park Zoo that weekend. She was _obsessed_ with penguins, and Tony knew they had a great exhibition. Pepper was going to drop Morgan off after work. As soon as Tony opened the door, Morgan ran screaming into his apartment. 

“Hi,” Pepper handed him Morgan’s backpack. 

“Hey.”

“She has a couple of extra outfits in there, I wasn’t sure if she wanted to stay until Sunday or not.”

“We’ll play it by ear. You doin’ ok?” Tony asked. 

“I’m fine, how are you?” Her face was completely stoic. It reminded Tony of all those times she didn’t say anything to him when she had to say good-bye to his one night stands for him. 

“Great.” He stared at her.

“Well I should be going,” Pepper shuffled her feet.

“Morgan, come say good-bye to your mom,” Tony called. Morgan came running over, and planted a sloppy kiss on Pepper’s cheek. 

“Mommy, why can’t you come with us to the zoo? It’ll be so fun,” Morgan said, twirling her dress. 

“Mommy can’t, honey, but you’ll have so much fun with your dad!” Morgan looked up at Tony, and stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his out back. “Very nice, very mature.” 

“She started it.”

They said their good-byes and Morgan ran away again. 

“Look,” Pepper continued, “I’m going away this weekend, but if she needs to go back to the house for any reason, Alanna said she would be happy to babysit.”

“Where are you going? And she won’t need to, why did you ask Alanna?”

“Happy and I are going to the Catskills,” she replied.

“Happy?”

“Yes. He’s still my bodyguard. It’s a girl’s weekend, Tony, relax,” she added, not appreciating Tony’s accusatory tone. That vein in Tony’s forehead started to throb. 

“Fine. Have fun.”

“We will, thank you,” Pepper picked up her briefcase.

“‘ _We_ ’?”

“Keep our daughter alive, won’t you?” 

  
  


The night was spent making homemade pizza and sitting down for a movie. Morgan was less interested in the _Trolls_ movie and more interested in painting Tony’s toenails. He probably should have taken more precaution, as the polish was all over the rug. 

It was refreshing, and exhausting. Morgan was smart enough to entertain herself, but she saw Tony so rarely these days she desperately wanted his attention. He indulged her, constantly praising her and asking her questions. She loved to tell Tony stories, and he tried to keep track of her characters so she wouldn’t get mad at him. He was thankful F.R.I.D.A.Y. chipped in occasionally. 

The zoo went about as expected. Tony had entertained walking the whole way, but a twenty minute walk turned into a ten minute tantrum, and Tony flagged down a taxi for the last leg of the trip. Morgan was off the walls, excited to see all of the animals. He bought her a stuffed animal, a red slushy, and a brand-new t-shirt with a penguin on it. They fed the animals in the children’s zoo, spent hours watching the penguins, and Tony wanted to cry when she asked if they could go to the New York Aquarium, too. 

He convinced her to leave the park eventually, with the promise of dim sum at one of her favorite restaurants. They ate at the restaurant quietly. Tony tried to ignore the paparazzi that followed them from the park, but Morgan never seemed to notice. She must have thought that happened to every kid.

The day was a success. Pepper had texted him, asking about Morgan, and he simply sent her snapshots. She scolded him for buying her such a large slushy, but Tony shrugged it off. The kid seemed fine. Pepper didn’t respond when Tony asked how Happy was doing. 

Putting Morgan in her bed in Stark Tower, Tony reflected on how many countless times he had put her to bed at the lake house. He missed seeing her every day, it seemed like she grew an inch every time he saw her. He missed the little stuff - he missed the bed time routine, making her snacks after school, cuddling her on lazy Sunday mornings. 

She was adapting reasonably well to the new situation. When Tony and Pepper sat down with her at first, they didn’t mention the d-word, instead choosing to use the word “separate”. Tony was worried she might think it was temporary, just like last summer. They would just have to cross that bridge when they came to it. 

  
  
  


“How was the zoo?” Stephen asked. After Tony dropped Morgan off at the lake house, he drove straight to the Sanctum. 

“I’m so fucking tired. Did you know there aren’t any penguins in the North Pole? Who knew.” Tony had his head on Stephen’s lap. They were sitting in the conservatory enjoying a glass of wine. 

“So it was good, then.”

“Yeah.” They sat in silence for a few moments. It had been stressful leading up to Morgan’s visit, as Tony was working extra late during the week to keep on schedule. He didn’t have much time to talk to Stephen, let alone see him. 

“Should we talk?” Stephen suggested. “We haven’t talked about that night, you’ve been so busy it’s just never -”

“I’m fine,” Tony cut him off, irritated. “We don’t have to talk about it, it was a momentary freak out, I haven’t thought about it since.”  
“Are you sure?”

“Are _you_ sure?” Tony sat up, leveling with the sorcerer. “It seems like you have a lot of feelings about it because this is the third time you’ve brought this up -”

“I just want to know that you’re okay, forgive me for caring,” Stephen scowled. 

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it. Stephen,” Tony started to say, but Stephen had already gotten up. He was pacing the room, his hands on his hips. 

“When are you going to tell her, Tony?” His voice broke, and he couldn’t bear to look at Tony. His question hung in the air. 

“After the divorce is finalized,” Tony said quietly. 

“Okay.”

“It’ll be better that way, I don’t want her to have anything to use against me.”

“I understand,” He walked around the room, breathing deeply and looking up through the glass panes. “I have to go back to the Kamar-Taj soon. The recruits are almost ready, I’ll get to pick an apprentice or two.”

Tony said nothing.

“They’ll be coming back with me.” 

“So… no more alone time in the Sanctum?”

“No more alone time,” Stephen confirmed. Tony stood, and pulled Stephen in for a hug. 

“Let’s make the most of this then,” Tony smiled. He brushed his lips against Stephen’s. He examined the sorcerer’s face, still a little peeved from their tiff. “C’mon.” 

  
  


Tony always thought when people said they made love all night it was a joke. Even in his playboy days, half the night was spent partying before he even got to bed - which was very short lived compared to the rest of the evening. Turns out if you’re hopped up on wizard juice or powered by an arc reactor, you can go for a very long time. Tony felt like his head had just hit the pillow when his phone rang.

“Who is it?” Stephen groggily asked. Tony checked. 

“It’s Pepper.”

“Answer it.”

“No.”

“Answer it, Tony, or I will,” he threatened, reaching for the still-ringing phone.

“Alright! Fine!” He almost regretted picking up as soon as he did. “Hello?”

He had to pull away from the phone as Pepper’s irate voice blasted through the speaker.

“ _WHERE ARE YOU_?”

“I’m.. home, whaddya mean?”

“Our meeting with the lawyers started twenty minutes ago, Tony. I literally told you about this yesterday.” 

“What?” Tony scrambled to find his pants. “I thought you said it started at eleven??” 

“IT’S ELEVEN TWENTY THREE.” 

“Yikes. Ok, I’ll be there in half an hour,” Tony said, struggling to get his shirt on. Stephen whacked him, and casually slipped on his sling ring. “Scratch that. I’ll be there in five.” 

He hung up while Pepper was still yelling profanities, and leaned over to press a firm kiss on Stephen’s lips. 

“Thank you, you’re a lifesaver,” Tony said earnestly.

“Wouldn’t be the first time. Now go get divorced.” 

  
  
  
  


“Why do you want Stark Tower? I live there!” Tony was pissed. It wasn’t going well. His lawyer had assured him this would be much, much simpler. Instead, Pepper and her battalion of lawyers rolled in with a completely revised version of the terms they had previously agreed on.   
“You could live anywhere! I work there.” Pepper thumped her tiny fist on the table. 

“You could work anywhere!” He shouted.   
“Really? Who else do you want running Stark Industries?” She said coolly. 

“Peter? Harley?” He offered, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair.

“They’re _teenagers_ , Tony. No.” 

“It’s my company.” 

“Yeah, and I’m still the CEO. Mark that down, won’t you Marianne? Thank you.” She ignored the daggers Tony was glaring at her from across the table. 

“Why were you such a dick in there?” He asked Pepper as soon as the meeting adjourned. They were standing in the vestibule. “We talked about this. I get the tower, you get the house. You can have all but one of the jets and you can keep the yacht! I thought I was clear.” 

“It doesn’t make sense from a business standpoint -” Pepper started.

“Doesn’t make sense? Doesn’t make _sense_? You know what doesn’t make sense? You doing a total one-eighty in there and making me look like a fucking jackass.”

“You don’t need any help in that department, Tony,” she deadpanned.

“Real nice, Potts,” he spat. 

“Look, you let me run your company because you needed someone to make decisions, and I did just that. I’m not sorry. You can rent the apartment from the corporation,” she adjusted her briefcase and began walking towards the lobby.

“ _What_?” He reached out to her, but was cut off by Happy extending his arm. “Fuck off, Hogan.”

“We can put you on a 3-year lease, if it makes you feel any better.” 

“What’s wrong with you? Why … a _lease_? What the fuck,” Tony cried in disbelief. “Who fucked you and made you queen bitch?”

She paused, and looked him squarely in the eye. 

“I’m pregnant, Tony.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha I'm sorry. I promise Ironstrange is endgame.


	14. Losing Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _A broken heart is all that's left  
>  I'm still fixing all the cracks  
> Lost a couple of pieces when  
> I carried it home  
> I'm afraid of all I am  
> My mind feels like a foreign land  
> Silence ringing inside my head  
> Please, carry me home_
> 
> _I've spent all of the love I saved  
>  We were always a losing game  
> Small-town boy in a big arcade  
> I got addicted to a losing game_
> 
> -“Arcade” by Duncan Laurence

“Open up!” Tony hollered, pounding his fists on the front door of the Sanctum. “I know you’re in there!”

“Can I help you?”

Tony looked up to see a stranger. It was a younger man, probably in his late twenties. He had dark hair, and a chiseled chin. He was dressed in the same garb Stephen often wore. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Tony demanded. 

“I’m Brian,” said the younger man, smiling. He held out his hand. Tony ignored it. 

“Where’s Stephen?”

“The Sorcerer Supreme is a very busy man, I’m afraid he’s only able to attend to -”

“This is fucking ridiculous.” Tony tried to push past, but he was repulsed by a spell. He fell down the steps, his head hitting the concrete sidewalk. 

“I’m very sorry about that, but like I said, he’s very busy,” Brian smirked. 

“Like hell he is,” Tony muttered, and pressed his arc reactor, enabling the hand attachment in Mark LXXXVI. The young sorcerer recoiled, but not before Tony sent an energy blast through the front door. The path clear, Tony marched inside. 

“Where are you?” Tony shouted. He was livid. “Come out, come out, wherever you are…” 

His steps echoed in the great hall. Stephen casually strolled down the grand staircase, fixing his robe loosely around his waist. He was naked underneath. 

“What the fuck are you doing, Tony?” Stephen asked in a low voice.

“What the fuck are _you_ doing? Who the fuck was that guy?” 

“He’s no one, he’s one of my apprentices.”

“No one?” Brian squeaked from the corner, clutching his robes. Stephen glared at him.

“You leave, now,” he growled. Brian scurried off. Tony met Stephen on the landing.

“Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

“You still love her,” Stephen stated, his fierce grey eyes boring a hole into Tony’s soul. 

“No I… it’s not like a button I can just turn off, Jesus,” Tony faltered. He didn’t know what to say. “We’re having a boy.”

“Well I’m happy for you two, I hope you live a very long and happy life together,” Stephen snapped. He turned on his heel and started heading back up the stairs.

“It’s not like that,” Tony pleaded, reaching out to the angry sorcerer. 

“Prove it,” Stephen spat, whipping around. “Prove it to me, Stark, because I don’t fucking believe you. I have waited _months_ for you to make up your mind, and in a split second, you are back in her arms and I _can’t fucking do it anymore_. We’re done. We’re finished. I can’t handle this.” 

Stephen stormed up the staircase, leaving Tony on his own. 

***

Tony’s mind reeled. His vision blurred as he stumbled out onto the sidewalk, he couldn’t fucking believe it. What the fuck just happened? He hailed a cab, trying not to hyperventilate on the way to Stark Tower. 

In the safety of his living room, Tony uncapped a bottle of scotch and drank it straight. It was five o’clock somewhere. He screamed, kicking and smashing his glass coffee table. He drained the bottle, and sank to the floor. He didn’t care that he was sitting in broken glass, or that he was bleeding onto the carpet. He was empty. 

Tony never would have dreamed he would be in this position a month ago. Before the divorce proceedings started, before Pepper told him she was pregnant. They were happy, he thought. He and Stephen had reached some form of domestic bliss, at least as far as secret affairs could go. He was planning on telling Pepper about him, but the divorce never finalized. 

Pepper’s announcement had thrown Tony into a whirlwind. They went out for coffee (after Tony’s brief panic attack in the lobby) and talked things over. She didn’t need anything from him, didn’t expect anything from him. But this was _his kid_. How could he walk away now? 

Stephen cried when he found out. Tony tried to console him, but his words weren’t enough. Stephen needed to be alone, and he sent Tony home. He just needed space. 

But space became a week, and the next time Tony called, Stephen was at the Kamar-Taj with no expected return date. The apprentices were ready to be chosen, and Stephen had to be there. Tony begged him to come back, just for a few minutes, just to talk. Stephen didn’t bite. He promised he would call when he came back to New York. 

Tony was a wreck. He threw himself into his work, staying up for days on end. Peter caught him sleeping in the lab, and forced him to talk. Tony couldn’t bring himself to tell the teenager everything. Once Peter learned gossip, it was a matter of seconds before everyone else knew, too. He simply told Peter that he had screwed himself over with the project for the expo - would he and Harley help? 

They gladly agreed, Harley over video conference, to help their mentor. Peter was easily able to balance his schoolwork and help Tony. Harley ran his own tests in Tennessee, sending results back for Tony to look over. It wasn’t efficient, but it was helping. 

A couple of weeks into Stephen’s radio silence, Tony received a text from Pepper. They were celebrating Morgan’s birthday, and she invited Tony over for dinner. 

Tony arrived at the lake house, gift in hand. He had made her a little drone, outfitted with a throne for her favorite doll. She might have a thing for princesses, but she also loved playing with anything in Tony’s lab. They had dinner, just the three of them, and Morgan was so happy her parents were together. Pepper was perfectly civil, and Tony was too exhausted to be anything but the same. 

It felt like old times. Before Thanos, before everything got fucked up. Before he met Stephen. He missed him, dearly. The last couple of weeks had been a challenge, and Tony’s heart lifted when he saw his phone ring. He excused himself from the table and answered in the hallway. 

“I’ll be here for a few weeks, I think,” Stephen was saying. He was still in Kathmandu.

“Will you make it back for the expo?”

“I’m not sure.” 

“No pressure. It’d be nice if you could see it, that’s all. How are the apprentices?”

“Pretty abysmal. But we all have to start somewhere I guess-” Stephen was interrupted by the sound of Morgan screeching. She was running in circles, being chased by Pepper down the hallway. “Where are you?” 

“Uh… at the house, we’re having dinner for Morgan’s birthday,” Tony said casually, watching as Pepper picked Morgan up and tickled her.

“Don’t let me interrupt you.”

“You’re not, that’s why I answered.”

“Well I have to go, get … lunch…”

“Stephen, wait -”

“Call me when you’re back at the Tower,” Stephen said, and hung up. 

But Tony didn’t go back to the tower. He stayed at the house that night, deciding it was too late to drive after they watched a movie. Morgan had fallen asleep on the couch, sandwiched between Tony and Pepper. Tony offered to carry her to bed and tuck her in. As he was pulling the blanket up to her shoulders, she blinked at him and whispered, “I love you three-thousand, daddy.” 

He kissed her forehead and whispered back, “I love _you_ three-thousand.”

Pepper didn’t say anything when he got back downstairs. She had started making up the couch, fitting the covered sheet as best she could and leaving Tony with a couple of pillows and blankets. 

“Are you sure you want to sleep on this? We could always blow up a mattress in the spare bedroom,” she offered. 

“No, that’s much worse, but thanks.” 

Pepper went to bed shortly after, and Tony went to sleep on the couch - not a totally alien concept in recent years. It was surreal being back at the lake house after months of staying in Stark Tower. He didn’t really feel like he belonged at either place, but he was so happy being around Morgan. And now, there was another precious bundle of joy growing inside of his… soon to be ex-wife. 

One day became several days. Peter and Harley were cranking away on the project, so Tony wasn’t completely worried about that. He could check in remotely from the skeletal remains of his lab in the garden shed. Morgan was thrilled, Tony was fixing her after-school snacks and cooking dinner every night for all of them. 

STRANGE: **Where are you?**

Tony didn’t respond immediately. He was busy cleaning up after dinner, he didn’t realize he had missed a phone call from Stephen. 

STARK: **At the lake house. Call you in a few?**

Stephen took a few minutes to respond.

STRANGE: **Again?**

…

STARK: **Still**. 

Stephen didn’t respond, so Tony called. And called. And called. He drove back to the city first thing in the morning, right after he saw Morgan get on the schoolbus. He called Stephen again, and just drove directly to the Sanctum. 

And then… Stephen broke up with him. Just like that. 

Tony was halfway through his third bottle of scotch when the realization dawned on him. He had been so fucking blind, so up his own ass he couldn’t see it until it was taken away from him. 

  
  
  


Tony was hopelessly, madly, deeply in love with Stephen Strange. 


	15. Back To You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _We never got it right  
>  Playing and re-playing old conversations  
> Over-thinking every word and I hate it  
> 'Cause it's not me  
> And what's the point in hiding  
> Everybody knows we got unfinished business  
> And I regret it if I didn't say this isn't what it could be _
> 
> _You could break my heart in two  
>  But when it heals, it beats for you_
> 
> _I wanna hold you when I'm not supposed to  
>  When I'm lying close to someone else  
> You're stuck in my head and I can't get you out of it  
> If I could do it all again  
> I know I'd go back to you_  
> -Selena Gomez

“Get up, Tony.” Rhodey was kicking him with his steel-toed boot. “I said  _ get up _ , Tony!” 

“Fuck! What!” Tony was sprawled out on the floor of his lab, looking up at five faces of worried Avengers. Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Thor, and Rhodey were all staring down at him. Tony squinted, his head was pounding. Rhodey helped him to a sitting position, pushing liquor bottles out of the way.“What are you guys doing here?” 

“This is an intervention,” Steve said heroically. “Peter called us.”

“Christ. That little fucker better not be here,” Tony muttered.

“He’s upstairs.” Steve confirmed. 

“What’s going on, Tony?” Nat asked softly, kneeling down to Tony’s level. “You can tell us.” 

He looked at her lovely face, full of concern. She helped him over to the couch, and they all took a seat around Tony, waiting expectantly. 

“I fucked up,” he said finally.

“Whatever it is, we can fix it,” Bruce assured him. Tears started to well up in Tony’s eyes and he could barely speak. 

“Not this time.” 

“Is this government related? You know I have connections,” Rhodey tried. 

“No,” Tony smiled, “That would be much, much easier.” 

“Whatever it is, we’re here for you,” Nat reiterated. 

“You’re going to laugh.” Tony looked around at all of the solemn faces, most of them shaking their head ‘no’. He couldn’t help but start to cry. “He broke up with me.”

“Who?” Nat asked, rubbing Tony’s shoulder encouragingly. 

“Stephen Strange,” Tony whispered.

“HA! I KNEW IT!” Thor clapped his hands together and thumped Rhodey on the back. “You owe me fifty bucks!” 

Tony looked at him, confused. “The fuck?”

“We had a bet going, I won,” Thor happily pocketed the cash. 

“I can see that, but what the fuck, Rhodey?” Tony glared at his best friend. 

“I mean, no one was surprised by the divorce, which, I’m sorry man,” Rhodey said, “but we started a little pool…” 

Tony looked around as everyone dug into their pockets and handed Thor money. Natasha was the last one, reluctantly handing over the cash as she mouthed the words ‘ _ I’m sorry’ _ to Tony. 

“Real nice, some friends you are!” Tony sputtered, reaching for an unfinished bottle of liquor. Steve cut him off, wagging his finger. “Oh, fuck off, Rogers.”

“In all seriousness, Tony, we’re very concerned about you,” Nat said, trying to be consoling but also trying not to smile. 

“ _ Yeah, Mr. Stark _ ,” Peter’s voice carried through the speakers. He must have been using the intercom from upstairs. “ _ We all care about you! _ ”

“What the fuck?” Tony looked around, “Go back to daycare! This is for adults only!”

“ _ Sorry. Love you! _ ” Peter said, and Tony could hear the intercom disconnect. Bruce handed him a glass of water and some Tylenol, and Tony gratefully accepted. 

“It does get worse,” Tony added, swallowing the pill. “Pepper’s pregnant.” 

Their reactions were a mix of congratulations and concern, but Thor’s reaction stood out the most: 

“That fucking sucks, dude.” 

  
  


Tony reeked. Rhodey made a comment (or twelve) about Tony Stank, and Tony hopped in the shower. The other Avengers said their good-byes, but Steve hung around. He was going to drive Tony uptown so he could talk to Pepper. Natasha had convinced him to tell Pepper in person, that it would be easier. Tony wasn’t entirely confident about that. 

“So Strange, huh?” Steve coaxed. They were driving on the highway. 

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, fiddling with the hem on his coat. 

“I’m happy for you, Tony.”

“He broke up with me.” 

“I know… but you had it for a minute,” Steve looked over at him, trying to be comforting. “‘ _ Better to have loved and lost _ ’, right?”

“Am I in the right car? I thought I was with my friend,” Tony asked rhetorically. 

“Look, I’m not saying it’s over, Tony,” Steve continued, “but you fucked up. It happens. Shit happens. You’re fucking Tony Stark, you can fix this.” 

“ _ I _ fucked up?” Tony said, incredulous.

“Ok, it was a collective shitstorm, I think all parties can agree with that,” Steve kept his eyes on the road. “Just go tell Pepper what happened. Maybe she’ll be understanding.”

“Oh my god why am I in the car with  _ you _ ?” Tony groaned, slumping in his seat. 

“You don’t know! I could be right, I usually have a sixth sense about this kind of thing.”

An eternity later, they arrived at the lake house. As Steve pulled the car into park, Morgan came running out the front door, Pepper not far behind her. 

“What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” Pepper called. 

“Hi, hello, good to see you too,” Tony quipped as Morgan ran past him, straight into Steve Roger’s arms. 

“I’m not -” 

“Can we go inside?” Tony interrupted her, ushering her inside while Morgan was distracted.

“I have to tell you something. Maybe you should sit down,” he said, gesturing to the bench at the breakfast nook. 

“No,” Pepper leaned against the counter island and crossed her arms, waiting. Better now than never.

“...I’ve been seeing someone,” Tony said hesitantly.   
“Ok,” Pepper remained composed. “Who?” 

“Stephen Strange.”

Tony could see Pepper’s brain go into overdrive. Her mouth tried to formulate words, and she slowly sat down in the chair behind her, her mouth still agape.

“Stephen Strange. Doctor Strange? Like the Strange we know?” She questioned, still in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“...When did this even happen? Did you  _ cheat _ on me?” 

“Yes,” Tony grimaced. 

“Were you ever going to tell me?” 

Tony didn’t answer.

“You weren’t going to tell me?? I can’t believe after everything we’ve been through you wouldn’t tell me!”

“Really? That’s what you're surprised at?” 

“Tony, I know things have been very difficult for you since… since Thanos, and I tried to be that person for you. I really did. But you changed that day, and we were never the same.”

“If it makes you feel even better, he broke up with me.”

Pepper laughed. 

“I’m glad this is so funny for you,” Tony continued, clearly hurt.

“Tony, you’re an idiot,” she smiled. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. I knew you were only here because you were running away from something. Can you do me a favor? Don’t fuck this up with Strange. He’s a really nice guy, I think.” 

“Is that the hormones talking?”

“No. Don’t be obtuse.” 

“But what about -”

“Tony, it will be fine. Seriously. We’re adults, this isn’t even the weirdest thing we’ve ever had to deal with,” She walked up to Tony and gave him a hug. “ I’ll be fine. Morgan will be fine. The baby will be extra fine. Just stop fucking with people’s love lives, alright?”

“But -”

“Go,” she said, squeezing his arms. “Get him back before it’s too late.” 

If they weren’t in this weird mid-divorce phase, Tony could have kissed her. He settled on kissing her on the forehead. 

“Thank you,” and he kissed her on the cheek for good measure. 

He was on his private jet when he called Peter and Harley. They had already made camp at Stark Tower, preparing for the week leading up to the Stark Expo. 

“I’ll be checking in on you remotely, so no crazy shit,” Tony said, swirling his glass of whiskey on ice. 

“When will you be back?” Harley asked. 

“Um, I don’t know. But I contacted the board, you two are going to present this project and I removed my name. You did all of the work anyway. Have at it. Don’t blow up my lab.” 

Tony shut off the speaker before he could hear their excited squeals. He watched them hug on the video display. 

When Tony landed, he didn’t exactly know what to expect. He knew Stephen had a bitchin’ time finding the Kamar-Taj the first time around, and he sincerely regretted not tracking Stephen’s phone calls whenever he called. Maybe like a normal pilgrim, he was stuck searching every crevice of the city, asking every passerby if they knew Kamar-Taj. 

By his third day of crawling the streets, Tony was thoroughly pissed. He felt like shaking every person dressed remotely similarly to Stephen, but he knew his garb was extremely cultural and Iron Man shaking the shit out of locals would probably look bad for public relations.

He persevered, taking pit stops at shady hotels when he needed. It wasn’t ideal, but he was desperate. He had already stopped by the New York Sanctum, interrogating the apprentice named Brian for all he was worth, but he was useless. He hadn’t even passed the apprenticeship test, he was only a glorified housekeeper. Tony felt better about that, but it wouldn’t help him in his pursuit of the Kamar-Taj. 

On the fifth day, Tony wandered into the right quadrant of the city. He spotted a monk that looked an awful lot like Wong out of the corner of his eye, and he followed him for hours. He sincerely hoped he wasn’t being racist but he was rewarded when Wong finally approached him. 

“Stephen isn’t here,” he finally said, engaging with a thoroughly dirty, tired, and depressed Tony Stark. “But you may enter.”

Tony was surprised when he was led to a surprisingly elementary door, and into an even more unimpressive courtyard. People dressed in robes like Stephen were traipsing all over the place, practicing their martial arts movements and meditation. 

“Welcome to the Kamar-Taj,” Wong said serenely. “We’ve been waiting for you.”


	16. Million Ways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sunday morning, I woke up with no one beside me  
>  Reaching out for you like you were still there  
> Gave excuses like 'no labels', I'm not ready  
> Now I'm drowning in a sea of regret_
> 
> _I'm not gonna say goodbye  
>  'Cause I'm gonna change your mind  
> Let me love you, let me love you all day  
> I got a million ways_
> 
> _How do I show you how to make it right?  
>  Instead of making more mistakes  
> _  
> \- HRVY

Tony didn’t know what to do with himself. He was sitting on a cushion in one of the rooms at the Kamar-Taj, slowly sipping some grassy tea while Wong sat across from him, completely silent. 

“So… where is Stephen, exactly?” 

“The Sorcerer Supreme is battling demons in another dimension,” Wong said, maintaining that placid look on his face. 

“Ah… and when can we expect his Holiness to return?” 

“That is unknown,” Wong noticed Tony’s uneasiness and added, “You are welcome to stay as long as you need.” 

Wong gave him a tour of the compound. He was particularly impressed at the amount of new recruits that were wandering around. Wong explained that very few would become apprentices, but there were other uses for them. Tony strolled the training grounds, paying particular attention to a group doing guided meditation. The master saw Tony, and waved him over while continuing to speak. Tony plunked himself down in the back of the group, and closed his eyes. 

Tony let his mind wander as he listened to the calming voice of the master. He wondered how Peter and Harley were doing at the expo, what Pepper and Morgan were doing, what his son would be like. He wondered, especially, what Stephen was doing right now. He hoped wherever he was, he was safe. He knew Stephen was extremely capable, but at the end of the day, he was still merely mortal. 

His thoughts meandered back to the beginning. He remembered that fateful day in Central Park, when Stephen reached through the portal and Tony was immediately taken aback by how breathtakingly handsome he was. He remembered how much he wanted to strangle Stephen when they were in that spaceship, and when he sacrificed the time stone. Hell, Tony still wanted to strangle him.

But he thought about how weak he felt when Stephen kissed him for the first time. At the Avengers party, he was falling apart - and Stephen swooped in and saved him. His kiss was the breath of life Tony hadn’t realized he needed. He’d made Tony an addict, only to constantly run away. 

Tony remembered the smoldering look Stephen gave him in the tower during their first date. Every cell in Tony’s liquor-soaked body was set on fire, and Tony knew in that moment he would never be the same. He reveled in the memory of feeling Stephen’s body against his, the sounds he made in Tony’s ear. 

Bora Bora was the ultimate weekend of emotional turmoil. Tony was so, so angry at Strange for deserting him, and he melted as soon as Strange approached him in his bedroom. Tony didn’t know what it was about the sorcerer that made him lose all of his common sense. That night Stephen claimed him as his own. 

He remembered the walk on the beach, how patient Stephen was while Tony struggled with his decisions. If Wanda hadn’t helped him along, he wasn’t sure how long it would have taken him to do the right thing and break up with Pepper. Even when Tony was crying that night in the bathroom, Stephen was there for him. He held him all night long, exuding strength when Tony needed it most. 

Tony was upset when Stephen sent him away the day he found out about Pepper’s pregnancy, but Tony was absolutely destroyed when Stephen called the whole thing off. Their love affair had been building for months, and Stephen just threw all of it away. Tony was angry. Angry at himself, angry at Stephen. He mourned their potential, drowning himself in any liquor he could find. He might have fucked up every other relationship in the past, but he needed Stephen. He grounded Tony like no one else could. He wanted to give Stephen everything he deserved and more. He wanted to have him in his life forever. 

He mused on all the things about Stephen that he loved. His uncompromising moral compass, the integrity with which he handled adversity. Tony loved the way his eyes twinkled when he was laughing, how it always seemed like he was stifling giggles. He loved how safe he felt when Stephen had his arms around him. He loved how when Stephen looked at him, he felt all of his barriers break down and he could fully be himself. This string of thoughts brought Tony back to the present, and when he opened his eyes, everyone in the room had disappeared. 

As the days wore on, Tony’s anxiety increased. He ran out of clean clothes and Wong lent him some robes. Peter and Harley e-mailed him, sending him excruciatingly detailed accounts of their time at the expo. It went well. Nat and Pepper asked for updates, but Tony didn’t have anything new to add. He was getting antsy, and he felt Wong was getting a little annoyed by his presence. He was pestering Wong in the library when a thunderous sound clapped overhead, and Tony looked out into the courtyard just in time to see Stephen tumble out of a portal. 

A crowd began to form, and Wong swiftly made them disperse. Tony ran over. Stephen was out of breath, clutching his bloodied side as he lay on the ground. He blinked slowly as he recognized Tony’s presence. 

“What are you doing here, Stark?” 

“You’re hurt!” Tony knelt by his side. 

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Stephen managed. 

“I’m -”

“Stephen, you’re bleeding all over the tile I just cleaned. Can we move you, please?” Wong interjected. 

Wong brought them to a quiet room. Stephen stripped all but his pants, and lied back on a table so that Wong could begin to clean his wound. Stephen was right, it wasn’t that bad - but Tony couldn’t help but grimace as he watched Wong stitch him up. 

“So you’re just letting anyone in here now?” Stephen asked Wong loudly, avoiding Tony’s gaze. 

“We take in all sorts. He wouldn’t be the first lost tramp we took in,” Wong pointedly looked at Stephen. “I’m all finished here. Will you two please follow me? There are matters we have to deal with that concern both of you.” 

Stephen narrowed his eyes at Tony and sat up slowly. “Fine.”

He hopped off the table and carefully put on a clean shirt. 

“You shouldn’t have come here,” he said to Tony. 

“I had to, I had to see you.”

“Likely story.” Stephen huffed. 

“You’re so fucking stubborn, you know that??”

“Follow me,  _ please _ ,” Wong interrupted, moving between the two men. 

Tony and Stephen, still bickering, were following Wong through the library. They were about to cross the threshold when Wong shut the door in their faces. They heard the other doors to the library slam shut. Stephen tried to shake the handles, but to no avail. 

“Wong! We’re locked in!” Stephen shouted. 

“Oh, no,” Wong’s sarcastic voice could barely be heard. “I seem to have misplaced my key.”

They could hear the jangling of Wong’s key ring. 

“Oh well,” Wong said lightly, and Stephen and Tony could hear his footsteps get further away. 

“WONG!” Stephen pounded his fist on the door. He turned slowly, his chest heaving as he faced Tony. “Why? Why did you come here, Tony? Did you get sick of her already?” 

“It’s not like that,” Tony pleaded. “I don’t love her, I lov-”

“Then why did you go back?” Stephen roared, “As soon as I left, you went straight back to her!”

“I was scared!”

“Oh, please. Scared of what? Commitment?” 

“I was scared to tell you how I feel,” Tony implored. “I’m sorry, Stephen, I know I’m the world's biggest fucking moron. You were right, you were so right. I love you.”

His words hung in the air. Stephen stared at him, biting his lip, his hands locked on his hips. He took a deep breath and stepped towards Tony. 

“You had my heart in your hands and you  _ destroyed  _ it, Stark,” his voice a low growl. “I was a fool for loving you.” 

“You loved me?” Tony barely whispered. 

“I have loved you since the day I met you,” Stephen spat. “This is all of my fault. I shouldn’t have…” 

“Shouldn’t have saved me? Is that what you were going to say?” Tony interrupted, gritting his teeth. He felt the urge to punch Stephen in his perfect face. 

“Tony...”

“Incredible. You’re a fucking disaster,” Tony snapped.

“Would you really expect anything less from me? You fucked me up. I was  _ fine  _ before I met you.”

“Were you? I think Dr. Palmer would tend to disagree.”

“Fuck off, Tony.” 

“No!” Tony didn’t mean to say the next thing that came out of his mouth but it bubbled up before he could stop it. He gripped Stephen’s arms firmly, holding him in place while he forced Stephen to look him in the eye. “You… complete me.”

Stephen’s stern face cracked. A grin spread over his face and he burst out laughing.

“I’m serious!” Tony said, trying to maintain control. 

“That’s what you have to say to me, after all of this?” Stephen chuckled, using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe away the tears that had spontaneously formed. 

“I had a million speeches planned in my head, but for some reason whenever I see you my mind goes blank,” Tony reasoned. 

“That requires thought having residence in the first place,” Stephen said with a straight face. Tony shoved him. 

“Would you just listen to me for a minute? I’m trying to tell you how much I love you, fucker,” Tony said loudly, trying to raise his voice over Stephen’s giggles. After he settled down, Stephen caressed Tony’s face, admiring his confused look. He leaned in and finally kissed Tony on the lips. 

“You’re a piece of work,” he said, still holding Tony’s face in his hands. 

“A piece of work that you love?” Tony suggested, wrapping his arms around Stephen’s waist, pulling him closer. 

“I’m not sure, you still haven’t proven it to me.” Stephen said coyly. His eyes fluttered down to Tony’s crotch.

“Are you seriously asking for a blowjob in the middle of a library?” Tony deadpanned.

“Do you love me or not?” Stephen asked, indignant. Tony acquiesced, pulling him in for a kiss. He explored Stephen’s mouth, getting reacquainted with his tongue and teeth. His hands gently traversed the expanse of Stephen’s clothed body, careful to avoid his injury. Stephen moaned, and Tony fondled him through his pants. Feeling him harden underneath his palm, Tony pulled him out and began pumping his rigid member.

Stephen almost collapsed when he felt Tony’s mouth wrap around him, his tongue tracing that vein from base to tip. He had his eyes closed, focusing on the pleasure Tony was giving him when Wong’s voice interrupted his thoughts. 

“Are you best friends yet? Can I let you out?” They heard the sound of the key turning in the lock, and Tony scrambled to his feet while Wong opened the door. 

“Jesus, Wong, how long have you been standing there?” Stephen exclaimed, hastily tucking himself back into his pants. 

“I never left,” Wong said, looking from the disheveled sorcerer to the rosy-cheeked engineer. “You two are idiots.” 

He shook his head and walked away. 

  
  


As soon as the door clicked shut to Stephen’s private quarters, Tony captured Stephen’s lips in a searing kiss. They quickly discarded their clothing and tumbled into bed. Tony kissed his way down the sorcerer’s lithe body, picking up where he left off in the library. 

He lapped at the head of Stephen’s cock, inhaling the heady stench of his arousal. Stephen writhed beneath him as Tony took him further in his mouth. Tony’s mind wandered to how many times he had done this with Stephen and how important this was to him at this very moment. Stephen finally knew how he felt. Stephen shuddered when he looked down at Tony, his entire cock down his throat. 

He was beautiful this way, splayed over his bed, falling apart underneath Tony’s touch. Tony picked up the pace, keeping his eyes on Stephen’s blissful face. Their eyes locked and Tony could feel Stephen stiffening. He pulled off, causing Stephen to groan. He crawled up, his legs around Stephen’s waist, and silenced the sorcerer with his lips. 

“I love you,” Tony said sincerely. 

“I love you, too.” Stephen thought his heart might explode when Tony claimed his lips again. Tony’s hands were working his way down his body, and he felt Tony’s lips on his neck. Stephen reached over to the bedside table and handed Tony a jar of oil. Taking the hint, Tony poured some on his fingers and circled Stephen’s hole. 

They kissed while Tony slowly worked him open, whispering sweet nothings to each other. Tony curled his fingers at the right spot, and Stephen took in a sharp breath. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just thought I was… keep going,” Stephen encouraged. Tony worked another finger in, enjoying the noises Stephen was making. When Stephen nodded, Tony placed himself at the entrance. He watched Stephen’s face as he pushed in, relishing in the tight warmth of Stephen’s body. He looked down where their bodies joined, his veiny cock disappearing inside of Stephen, Stephen’s cock jutting out, engorged and ready to explode. 

Tony made love to Stephen slowly. He wanted to prove to Stephen how much he meant to him, going deep with every thrust. Stephen tried to maintain eye contact but every time he could feel Tony become fully seated, he closed his eyes in pure ecstasy. Tony exuded power as he slowly fucked Stephen, his movements concise and controlled. 

Stephen wrapped his legs around Tony’s lower back, willing him to go deeper. Tony kissed him as he continued his slow assault, tears forming in Stephen’s eyes. Tony took Stephen’s weeping cock in his hand, pumping him in rhythm with his thrusts. He moved slightly faster, careful to not put pressure on Stephen’s wound. Stephen was looking at him with such love, such compassion in his eyes that Tony’s mind completely blanked and it took all of his might not to piston in and out of the sorcerer. 

“I want you to come in me, Tony,” Stephen’s gravelly voice lit the spark in him and Tony groaned as he felt his balls tighten. Unable to hold back any longer, Tony sat back, supporting Stephen’s hips as he ploughed into him. He lost all sense of time, and when he felt Stephen clench around his cock, he completely lost all semblance of control and shot his seed deep inside the sorcerer. When Tony regained his vision, he looked up at Stephen, semen glistening on his heaving chest.

“Oops,” Tony said, using the bed sheet to attempt to clean him up. 

They lay in bed after, looking into each other’s eyes. 

“I love you,” Tony said first, “So much. I’ll prove it to you every day.”

“I love  _ you _ .” 

“I’m glad you came back safe.” 

“I’m glad you were here,” Stephen smiled, taking Tony’s hand in his.

“I have to wonder… out of all of those timelines, how many of them were we together?” 

“I’m not going to tell you that,” Stephen replied. Tony pouted. “I can tell you how many times I fell in love with you, though.”

“Oh really? How many?” 

“Fourteen million six-hundred and five,” Stephen said, and kissed him on the lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's going to happen in the last chapter?? :)


	17. Me Without You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Into my chest, you’re sinking in  
>  straight to my head like medicine  
> Your every breath I’m taking in_
> 
> _I should just let you in  
>  Let go of these walls, stop overthinking_
> 
> _Break me apart, put me together  
>  Stitch in my heart, there’s nothing better  
> Than feeling like this  
> I can’t be me without you  
> I can’t be me without you  
> _  
> \- Evan Cline

Tony signed the last paper with a flourish. He slid the papers across the desk, recapping his pen. 

“Is there anything else you want to take from me? Blood? Semen? My soul?” 

“He’s joking,” Pepper explained to her lawyer, looking sideways at Tony. “Right, Tony? You’re joking?” 

“Yeah, yeah. We still on for dinner later?” He stood and readjusted his coat. 

“Yes,” she confirmed, stacking papers neatly and placing them in her bag. “The reservation is at _Le Coucou_ at seven thirty. Don’t be late.”

“We won’t be.” 

“I mean it, it was embarrassing last time.”

“We’ll be there.” He winked at her, and walked out of the divorce attorney’s office for the last time. 

  
  


Much to Tony’s disdain and not for lack of trying, they were impeccably on time for dinner. Pepper beamed as they entered the restaurant, and Tony had to admit he was a little offended when she hugged Stephen first. They were quickly seated in a quiet corner of the restaurant, a bottle of champagne poured as they got comfortable. 

“A successful day, I think,” Pepper said happily. She held up her drink and they clinked glasses. She took a sip, then placed her glass next to Tony’s. 

“Well done,” Stephen agreed. 

“What’s next?” Tony asked, unfolding his napkin in his lap.

“The press release will be sent out tomorrow morning, and then I think we’re in the clear,” Pepper smiled. The last couple of months had been rocky, (“ _I’m allowed to be complex!_ ” Pepper had shouted at Tony) but with Pepper being halfway through her pregnancy, she had mellowed out a bit. She and Tony went shopping for new baby things, and she joined them for dinner occasionally. They had decided the best introduction to Stephen for Morgan was to spend time with all three of them, so they spent weekends (when Stephen could join) exploring parks and museums. 

Things were going well. Tony was a little bit uncomfortable with how chummy Pepper and Stephen seemed, but it was hard not to fall under the sorcerer’s spell. Stephen often carried a certain air of self-importance, and Tony was well aware it was a facade. If the other Avengers knew just how goofy and charming Stephen really was, they might just take him less seriously. 

He thought back to a few weeks prior at the Avengers compound. They were outlining the new training exercises for the recruits Rhodey had brought in, and Tony hadn’t seen Stephen in a couple of days. When Stephen had stepped through the portal, the Avengers were grinning at him eerily. He paused, glancing at Tony. 

“Tony…” Stephen said slowly, “Why are they all staring at me like that?” 

“I told them about us weeks ago. They’re just drinking it all in. Have a seat!” Tony was chipper. He pulled out a rolling chair for the confused wizard. Stephen hesitantly set down the bag of take out in front of Tony and took a seat. Still waiting with bated breath, none of the Avengers moved. 

“Give us a kiss,” Tony said, tapping his cheek. Stephen leant over, giving him a chaste kiss. A collective breath let out. 

“See Tony,” Thor smiled, “Doesn’t it feel good to live your true, authentic -”

“Shut it, He-man,” Tony glared at the demigod, then turned to the blushing face of Stephen Strange. “Sorry about that sweetheart, how was _your_ day?”

Tony snapped out of his reverie to see Stephen and Pepper glaring at him. 

“What?”

“You didn’t tell Pepper about the tickets to Ladysmith Black Mambazo?” Stephen asked, appalled.

“If that’s my most egregious error this month I think I’m doing fine,” Tony said, pouring himself more champagne. He looked at Pepper and added, “Sorry, honey.” 

Stephen rolled his eyes and continued his conversation with Pepper. Tony was living in a new and confusing world, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

  
  
  


“I never RSVP’d,” Stephen complained, watching Tony lay out potential outfits. “And I don’t have a suit.” 

“I responded weeks ago, and do you remember when you had that fitting? Yeah, they made several suits for you,” Tony remarked, holding up different ties for comparison. He was forcing Stephen to attend the annual American Neurological Society dinner. Christine’s fiance, doctor Nicodemus West, was finally presenting years of research and had invited them months ago. Stephen had conveniently lost the invite, but Tony found it in a mess of papers when they were cleaning the Sanctum to make room for another master to move in. 

“I told you I don’t want to go,” Stephen sighed. He flopped back onto Tony’s bed, scowling. 

“And I told you it would be healthy for you to fraternize with your peers.” 

“They aren’t my peers, Wong’s my peer.” 

“We’re going, and that’s final. Why don’t you try on some of your suits?” Tony suggested lightly. He opened the door to Stephen’s closet and began searching the racks. He picked a few, and threw them one by one on top of Stephen’s limp body. Stephen groaned and sat up, covered in clothing. 

“Did you choose the vegetarian option at least?” 

“I checked off vegan for you, yes.” Tony began holding the suits up to Stephen’s chest, choosing his favorites. “It’ll be fun!” 

“I won’t forget this,” Stephen glowered at him, and stood up. “I don’t have anything to say to them.”

“That’s why you have me, superstar,” Tony flashed him a smile, “Everyone wants to talk to me.” 

Tony drove the disinclined sorcerer to the event later that evening. They were both dressed to the nines, Tony donning an elaborately embellished jacket and his signature sunglasses. Stephen wore a sophisticated and simple black tuxedo, one that Tony chose. He felt it brought attention to Stephen’s slim waist, long legs, and broad shoulders. Looking in the mirror, Stephen certainly felt that was a correct observation. 

“If I vomit, may we go home?” Stephen whined as Tony pulled the car into park. The valet opened Tony’s door.

“Nope,” Tony said as he got out of the car, handing the valet a tip. “You’ll just have to suffer.” 

Tony thought that on some occasions, Morgan was easier to deal with. Stephen was acting like a petulant child. They argued the short distance to the hotel entrance, only quieting when they were briefly separated by the revolving door. 

Christine greeted them in the lobby, clipping on their name tags and pulling Stephen in for a hug. 

“I already signed you both in,” she said cheerily. “Come on! You’re seated at our table.”

“Wonderful!” Stephen said, clapping his hands together. He immediately turned to Tony and lowered his voice. “I want to leave.” 

Tony steered Stephen into the conference hall, his hand firmly placed on the reluctant sorcerer’s lower back. They followed Christine into the ballroom, and were led to a table closest to the stage. Four other people were already seated there, and after brief introductions, Tony and Stephen joined them. A seat remained empty for Dr. West. 

  
  


“Where are you practicing, Dr. Strange?” A bespectacled short woman with blonde hair asked. She was accompanied by her husband, a stocky man with an impish face. They were both neurosurgeons in the upper east side. 

“On sabbatical, I’m afraid. Though I spent many years at Metro General with Christine,” he smiled. Tony intertwined his fingers with Stephen’s under the table. 

“What are you studying now?” The woman continued.

“My… current work has me spending a lot of time in Nepal,” Stephen shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the spotlight. “In Kathmandu.” 

“An eastern medicine man!” The stocky man thumped the table, smiling widely. “Must be a fascinating study.” 

Christine saved him then, redirecting the conversation to the other couple at the table. Stephen tried to thank her with his eyes. Tony was also a little out of his element - after the initial introductions, no one had any particular questions for him. They didn’t seem to care that they were sitting at a table with a billionaire genius. 

They _did_ care about sitting at the table with Strange, and began to pester him about the laminectomy procedure he and Christine created. Christine sang his praises, even poked fun at his egotistical past. Stephen smiled his way through it, but felt a wave of relief when the lights dimmed. 

  
  


After the opening speech, Dr. West took the stage. Tony thought he looked rather unremarkable. He could feel Stephen jittering his leg, and placed his hand on his knee to calm him down. He couldn’t tell if Stephen was jealous of Nicodemus because of his relationship with Christine, or because he was up there speaking. Maybe Stephen just hated nanocarrier drug delivery technology (the subject of Nick’s speech). Whatever the cause, Tony was more than happy to space out during the presentation. 

For all intents and purposes, it was an interesting speech. He presented his thoughts in an orderly fashion and pointed out fairly the limitations of his own research. When Tony stole a glance over at Stephen, he noticed he was rapt with attention. Christine was simply bursting with pride, her eyes never leaving the funny little man at the podium. 

When dinner was served and Nick joined the table, Stephen stood to shake his hand. 

“Excellent speech, Nicodemus. Who knew we could penetrate the blood brain barrier so easily?” Stephen managed a smile, and Nick’s face displayed a mix between terror and flattery. 

“Thank you, Stephen!” His voice trembling, “So good to see you.” 

He looked apprehensively around the table, receiving a reassuring glance from Christine, before his eyes landed on Tony. 

“Holy shit, Tony Stark!” His meek facade broke and he moved to shake Tony’s hand vigorously. “Christine mentioned you were coming, but I had no idea…” his eyes moved from Stephen to Tony, slowly connecting the dots. “I had no idea you two were friends!”

“More than friends,” Tony corrected, “but it’s nice to meet you too. You should sit. I’m sure you’re starving.” 

Nick sat beside Christine, who planted a kiss on his cheek. He babbled nervously, barely touching his plate of filet mignon and asparagus. He kept stealing glances at Stephen, who was watching him with a discerning eye. 

“It was all Christine’s idea, I’d’ve never thought of it on my own, but we were doing research one morning and she came across an article you wrote, Stephen, and it just sort of spiraled from there,” he swallowed the rest of his drink and looked to Stephen for approval. There was a pause in the conversation as all eyes at the table rested on the moody sorcerer. 

“... I think you’ve done a marvelous job with the research, I could hardly be held accountable for inspiring your work when it is clearly your own. You should be proud,” Stephen observed. Nick preened and Christine rubbed his back. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, and Nick smiled, holding back tears. The timorous mood had been lifted. 

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, Stephen reverting to his charming self and Tony offering funny stories when he could. Tony spotted Stephen taking Christine’s hand behind Nick’s back, and lifting her petite fingers to his lips. If this had happened all of those months ago, Tony might have been jealous. But he knew, much like his relationship with Pepper, Stephen’s relationship with Christine was compounded by years of friendship and love and confusion. Christine was finally happy. Stephen had what he truly wanted, and she had what she wanted - an uncompromising and easy love. 

Tony was deep in a conversation with a chief financial officer of a Fortune 500 company when he was rudely interrupted by a finger tapping his shoulder. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Stark?” Tony looked up to see a tall blonde woman, her bosom stuffed so high on her chest it threatened to fall out of her dress with every breath. He gave her a look. “I’m Candace, I’m a reporter with CNN.” Tony rolled his eyes. “I was wondering if I could have a few minutes of your time?” 

Tony looked apologetically at the man he was speaking with, who just shook his hand and left the table. Tony turned to the annoying reporter and offered her the recently vacated seat. 

“You have thirty seconds. Thrill me,” Tony said point blank. She excitedly held out her recorder. 

“Would you like to give a statement about your recent divorce from Mrs. Stark?”

“It’s Potts, now, did you get the press release?” 

“Yes, of course.”

“So no, I wouldn’t -”

“Did you come to this event alone, Mr. Stark?”

Tony smirked. 

“Did you have any real questions or are you just fishing for gold, here?” He sipped from his glass coolly. 

“Sources say you came in with a strikingly handsome man, would you care to comment?” She asked eagerly, inching the recorder towards Tony’s face. Tony looked over at Stephen. He was standing by the bar, laughing with some former coworkers and generally enjoying himself. 

“I would say the sources are correct,” Tony smiled. “Now if you excuse me, I have to go find my date.” 

  
  


Tony took Stephen’s hand and led him into the lobby and down a dark hallway. 

“Is there something wrong?” Stephen asked, and Tony turned around, taking Stephen’s face in his hands and kissing him for all he was worth. Stephen melted into the kiss, his hands wrapping around Tony’s back.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Tony whispered, his forehead pressed against Stephen’s, “everything is perfect. I just wanted to tell you that I love you.” 

Stephen brushed his lips over Tony’s, and pulled him in for a slow and languid kiss. He took his time exploring Tony’s mouth, enjoying the privacy afforded by the poorly lit hallway. He walked Tony’s form backwards, pressing him against the wall. Continuing his assault on Tony’s lips, he ground his hips against him, feeling Tony’s excitement through his pants. Tony moaned into his mouth, but they were both interrupted when Tony’s phone began to ring. 

“What the fuck,” Tony sighed, reaching into his pant pocket. Stephen used this opportunity to catch his breath, resting his head on Tony’s good shoulder while he answered the phone. “Hello?” 

“ _TONY_ ,” the exasperated voice of Steve Rogers filtered through the speakers. Stephen’s ears perked, and he listened closely. “ _There’s a situation in Queens, we need your help!_ ”

Tony and Stephen could hear explosions in the background, the distinct sound of projectiles firing overhead. Rogers was shouting out to the other Avengers, alerting them of enemies on their tail. They could hear the unmistakable roar of the Hulk as another explosion sounded nearby. Tony looked at Stephen, his eyes searching for an answer in the sorcerer’s concerned face. Stephen simply nodded.

“Rogers, send me your coordinates!” Tony demanded. His jaw clenched, listening to the chaotic sounds of battle. Seconds later, the GPS map popped up on the holographic screen. When Tony turned to look at his date, Stephen had already made a portal to grab his cloak, and the cloak was dancing excitedly on his shoulders. Tony tapped his arc reactor, and he allowed his armor to form everywhere except his face. He pulled Stephen in for a quick kiss. 

“I love the fuck outta you,” Tony said, appreciating the clink of Stephen’s time stone medallion against his armor. 

“Samesies. Now can we go kick some butt?” Stephen quipped, his game face on. Tony smiled.

  
  


He was Iron Man, and he had the love of Doctor Strange. 

Enabling his helmet, he ran through the portal - his partner following close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I may add to this later or start another story about their lives, just wanted to get these two idiots together. Leave a comment or kudos, tell me your favorite chapter or character interaction! ♥ stay safe xo


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